Box Score

HONOLULU - Hawai`i captured third place in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic with a thrilling 66-64 win over Texas A&M Sunday afternoon at the Stan Sheriff Center. Amy Sanders put-back with one second left proved the difference and capped one of the grittiest efforts yet by the Rainbow Wahine under head coach Jim Bolla.

UH (3-2) spotted the Aggies the first 13 points of the game and trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half before making a spirited comeback. Sanders led UH with 14 points and junior point guard Cassidy Chretien stepped up with a season-high 13 points, including several critical baskets in the second half.

Morenike Atunrase led Texas A&M with 19 points, while Tamea Scales added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Early on, all signs pointed toward of a blowout. With starting point guard Janevia Taylor serving a one-game suspension, the Rainbow Wahine got off to a shaky start. A harassing defense helped the Aggies race out to a 13-0 lead a little more than two minutes into the game.

UH, however, weathered the initial storm, regained its composure and scored 10 of the game's next 13 points to get back into the contest. Hawaii trailed just 38-33 at the half and found some stability at the point with Chretien and sophomore Amy Kotani splitting duty.

Hawaii would again find themselves in a double-digit hole, falling behind, 47-37, less than five minutes into the second half. The Rainbow Wahine again refused to fold. Chretien's breakaway layup capped an 11-0 run that gave UH its first lead of the game, 48-47, with a little more than 12 minutes left. From then on it was a dogfight with four ties and 10 lead changes in the final 12 minutes.

UH led by as many as five, 62-57, but the Aggies scored six straight points to take a 63-62 lead with less than four minutes left. Hawaii scored the next four points including a layup in traffic by Chretien with 34 seconds left to put the Rainbow Wahine up 66-63. Texas A&M answered on its next possession on a 3-pointer by A'Quonesia Franklin with 16 seconds left, setting up a dramatic final possession for UH. Chretien drove right into the lane and missed a close range shot in a sea of Aggie defenders, but Sanders grabbed the rebound on the other side of the basket and layed in the game-winner.

UH will now have a 10-day layoff before heading for the road and a two-game California road swing. The Rainbow Wahine start the trip with a meeting against San Francisco on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. PST.

Sunday's Results
7th Place Game: Idaho State 78, Eastern Michigan 61
5th Place Game: Washington State 65, Cal State Northridge 64
3rd Place Game: Hawaii 68, Texas A&M, 66
Championship Game: #17 DePaul 76, Wisconsin57

All-Tournament Team
Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin
Janese Banks, Wisconsin
Kate Benz, Washington State
Danielle Gant, Texas A&M
Allie Quigle, DePaul
Jenna Rubino, DePaul
Amy Sanders, Hawaii
MVP: Khara Smith, DePaul

-uh-