Box Score

HONOLULU - Hawaii rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit but couldn't get over the hump in falling to SMU 52-50 Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH dropped to 9-10 overall and 5-7 in the WAC with the loss.

The Rainbow Wahine found themselves in their third straight home nail-biter. A week ago UH lost to San Jose State on a shot with 25 seconds left. Two nights ago Hawaii pulled off a monumental one-point upset over Louisiana Tech on a shot with eight seconds left. On Saturday, the Rainbow Wahine held the game's final possession against SMU down by two, but were unable to get a shot off.

The ending spoiled what was shaping to be a terrific comeback by UH. SMU never trailed in the second half, but the Rainbow Wahine tied the score on two occasions, including for the last time, 50-50, on a Janevia Taylor 3-pointer with 1:19 left. SMU's Kendall Shead put the Mustangs back up with one minute to play in what proved to be the game-winning basket. UH retained possession with nine seconds left but were denied a final shot off as three Mustangs stuffed a baseline drive by Milia Macfarlane.

Macfarlane led UH with 15 points, tying her career high. Amy Sanders posted her second straight double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Jade Abele added 10 points for the Rainbow Wahine. Janielle Dodds led SMU with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The loss was UH's first to the Mustangs in nine meetings in Honolulu and just the fourth in 17 all-time contests. SMU improved to 17-6 and 8-5 in the WAC.

Both teams felt the effects of Thursday night overtime games. UH came out strong scoring the first six points of the game but soon after sputtered. The teams combined to shoot just 25 percent, but the key was the Mustang's dominance on the boards. SMU pulled down 27 rebounds with nearly half coming on the offensive end and took a 27-18 lead at the break.

The Rainbow Wahine, however, would not fold and played with new-found aggression in the second half. UH trailed by nine as late as 12 minutes in the game but tied the score, 39-39, less than five minutes later on a Macfarlane layup. UH actually ended the game with a 44-41 edge on the boards, but were did in by SMU's accuracy on the free throw line (15-of-16) and its own inaccuracy from 3-point land (6-of-23).

Hawaii looks to rebound on the road when they face Boise State on Thursday, February 17. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.

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