Box Score
RENO, Nev. - Hawaii's season came to an end with a 65-61 loss to Nevada in the first round of the 2005 WAC Tournament Tuesday afternoon at Lawlor Events Center. The Rainbow Wahine end their season with an 11-15 record.
The No. 7 seed Rainbow Wahine entered the game without its top all-around player in Jade Abele, who sat out with an injured knee. UH faced the No. 10 seed in Nevada, a team they defeated twice in the regular season, including five days ago in Reno. But unlike the previous two outings, the Wolf Pack (8-21) would not lay down.
Nevada overcame a nine-point second half deficit to snap a five-game losing streak and win its first WAC Tournament game since joining the league in 2000-01. Riddled by foul trouble, UH allowed 44 second-half points and in a 10-minute span watched a nine-point lead turn into a nine-point deficit.
Amy Sanders picked it up in the absence of Abele, notching her third career double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Janevia Taylor added 18, while Alofa Toiaivao had 13 points and eight rebounds.
Meghan McGuire led three Wolf Pack players in double-figures with 16 points, while Amber Young (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Jessica Preslar (14 points and 10 rebounds) both posted double-doubles.
Despite the loss, UH showed its moxie, nearly coming back from a nine-point with under three minutes. Hawaii notched eight straight points, including clutch 3-pointers by Taylor and Sanders, to cut the lead to one with 1:41 remaining. Down 63-61 with 15 ticks left, the Rainbow Wahine had an opportunity to tie or win the game on its final possession but Taylor's leaning jumper from the free throw line fell off the mark.
The game started very similar to the team's regular-season meeting five days earlier. Both teams struggled offensively with UH leading the majority of the first 20 minutes, building a lead as big as nine points. Sanders and Taylor carried the bulk of team's offensive load, combining of the team's 26 points as UH took a five-point lead at the break.
UH built its lead back to nine-points on a Taylor bucket at the 14:50 mark of the second half. Nevada responded with an 11-0 run to take a 41-39 lead, its first since early in the game. UH went back on top on a Milia Macfarlane 3-pointer at the 7:24 mark, but McGuire responded with a 3-pointer of her own on the next possession and Nevada never trailed again.
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