Box Score
HONOLULU - Hawai'i picked up its first win of the season with a 64-58 victory over Eastern Illinois in the consolation game of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH (1-1) never trailed in the game but needed a late surge to get past a tireless Panther squad.
UH built double-digit leads in both halves and led by as many as nine points with less than five minutes remaining. The Panthers (0-2) tied the score with a little more than two minutes remaining but Hawaii scored the next seven points to put the game away.
Brittany Grice (14 points and 12 rebounds) and Amy Sanders (11 points and 12 points) both recorded double-doubles for UH, while Janevia Taylor chipped in 10 points. Megan Sparks scored a game-high 23 points for the Panthers.
Eastern Illinois pressing defense forced 31 UH turnovers, but the Panthers couldn't overcome a poor shooting night (329 percent) and a lack of size underneath. Hawaii owned the glass and posted nearly as many rebounds as points, finishing with a total of 62 boards. A total of 21 of those came on the offensive end.
Hawaii led by as many as 12 points in the first half and took an 11-point lead five minutes into the second half. The Panthers scored nine straight points and tied the score, 53-53, on a Sparks layup with 2:43 left. The Rainbow Wahine responded by scoring seven points in their next three possessions. Callie Spooner's short jumper broke the tie, Grice nailed two free throws and Taylor capped the 7-0 run with a 3-point play to put the game out of reach.
UH next hosts the 27th Annual Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic, Nov. 25-27. This year's field includes Cal State Northridge, #18 Depaul, Eastern Michigan, Idaho State, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and UH's first-round opponent, Washington State. The Rainbow Wahine will face the Cougars in the second game of the tournament on Friday at 11:10 a.m.
All-Tournament Team
Camille LeNoir, USC
Shay Murphy, USC
Amy Sanders, Hawai`i
Tanya Smith, Hawai`i
Megan Sparks, Eastern Illinois
MVP: Chloe Kerr, USC
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