Box Score

HONOLULU -- Hawaii opened the 2005-06 campaign with upset on its mind, but No. 22 USC had the last word in a 80-71 decision on the opening night of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Wahine put themselves in position to pull off the win, but couldn't seal the deal in dropping their third straight season-opener.

Hours after the Rainbow Warrior men's team opened the year with a monumental home upset of No. 4 Michigan State, the Rainbow Wahine hoops team looked to nab an upset of their own. UH built a seven point-lead in the first half and led by three at the break, but The Lady of Troy (1-0), picked up their intensity in the second half and out-scored UH 43-31.

Three Rainbow Wahine finished in double-figures for UH, led by Amy Sander's game-high 20 points. Janevia Taylor finished with 15 points, while sophomore forward Tanya Smith tallied a career-high 12 points and nine rebounds. Eshay Murphy finished with a team-high 15 points for the Trojans, while Chloe Kerr notched a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The game started with a fast pace and UH shot close to 50 percent to stake a 45-38 lead with a little more than four minutes left in the first half. USC took some momentum into the locker room when Camille LeNoir banked in a desperation 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, cutting the deficit to three points. That momentum continued in the second half as Jamie Hagiya's 3-pointer near the 16-minute mark gave USC a 42-41 edge. The Lady of Troy would not trail again. The Rainbow Wahine stayed within striking distance, but a 3-point dagger by Meghan Gnekow with three minutes left gave USC their biggest lead of the game at nine points.

UH have now dropped its last 19 straight games to ranked opponent, a streak that dates back to 1998.

USC and Eastern Illinois will meet tomorrow at 5 p.m. in day two of the round-robin tournament. The Rainbow Wahine close out the Classic versus Eastern Illinois on Monday at 6 p.m.

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