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Women's Basketball

Hawaii Upsets La Tech In Overtime, 79-78

Box Score

HONOLULU - The University of Hawaii women's basketball team picked up one of the biggest wins in program history with a 79-78 overtime victory over Louisiana Tech Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. Amy Sanders scored a career-high 27 points, including the game-winning shot with eight seconds remaining to lift the Rainbow Wahine.

UH (9-9, 5-6 WAC) entered the game 0-14 all-time against the Lady Techsters (14-6, 10-2), including nine straight losses as a conference foe. But by evening's end, the Rainbow Wahine handed Louisiana Tech just its fourth loss since joining the conference in 2001, a span of 75 WAC games. Two of the losses have come in the last five games.

Sanders effort offset a career night by La Tech's Tasha Crain, who finished with 36 points. Crain's twisting shot in the lane with two seconds left in regulation sent the game in overtime. Her two free throws at the 2:51 mark in overtime gave the Lady Techsters a 74-73 lead, but the junior guard would foul out of the game less than 20 seconds later setting up a furious finish. The lead changed hands three times in the last 33 seconds with the final lead change coming on Sander's 15-foot jumper from the left wing with eight seconds left. The Lady Techsters then pushed the ball up court, but Shan Moore's desperation 3-pointer fell off the mark.

Louisiana Tech held a slim 28-25 lead in the first half as both team's struggled from the floor. The second half, however, turned into a shootout. UH shot 55 percent in the second frame and led for nearly the final 13 minutes, building their lead to as many as nine points. UH held a five point lead with less than a minute to play, but a costly turnover and two missed free throws allowed the Lady Techsters to erase the deficit and send the game into overtime.

UH, however, would not succumb. Sanders, who added 10 rebounds to her career-high 27 points, led five Rainbow Wahine in double-figures. Jade Abele posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Janevia Taylor added 12 points, while Alofa Toiaivao and Milia Macfarlane finished with 11 points each.

Hawaii concludes its three-game home stand with its last regular-season meeting with SMU, a team bound for Conference USA next season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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