Box Score

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine basketball team began its 2006-07 campaign with a 69-58 win in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The win was UH's first in a season-opener since 2002.

The Rainbow Wahine led from start to finish, growing its lead to as many as 20 points, but had to endure a sloppy second half to pull off the double-digit win. A trio of senior starters led the way for Hawai`i. Pam Tambini finished with a team-high 16 points and four steals. Brittany Grice added 15 points, while Janevia Taylor posted 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Shanice Fuller led Georgetown with 12 points.

The Rainbow Wahine took a 17-point lead in the locker room in part due to just three first-half turnovers. But Georgetown (0-2) picked up the defensive intensity, forcing 19 second-half turnovers by UH and cutting a 20-point lead to just nine, 52-43, with less than eight minutes remaining. The Rainbow Wahine, however, iced the game at the free throw line where they scored 12 of their final 17 points.

Hawai`i pounded the ball inside early with Grice scoring seven of UH's first 11 points. The Rainbow Wahine then poured in on from the outside with Janevia Taylor hitting two of UH's five 3-pointers in the first half. The Rainbow Wahine finished 7-of-20 from behind the arc. UH led by five, 19-14 with just under eight minutes to play but went on 20-8 run to close the half and take a 39-22 lead into the locker room. Grice and Taylor combined for 23 of UH's 39 first-half points.

Hawai`i built its lead to 50-30 early in the second half, before the Hoyas employed a full-court press that flustered the Rainbow Wahine. Hawai`i withstood the Hoya rally with its own brand of defense, holding Georgetown to just 33 percent shooting and forcing 21 turnovers to help end a string of three straight losses on opening night.

UH now faces No. 3 Oklahoma in the championship of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic Saturday at 3 p.m. The Sooners, a 92-79 winner over Eastern Kentucky in the opening game of the tournament, will be the highest-ranked opponent UH has faced since a 65-48 loss to No. 3 Connecticut in the 1995 Rainbow Wahine Classic. Georgetown and Eastern Kentucky will play in the consolation game at 1:00 p.m.

-UH-