Box Score
HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i women's basketball team nearly came back from a 17-point deficit, but ultimately fell short to Chattanooga, 65-62, in the championship of the Paradise Classic Saturday afternoon at the Stan Sheriff Center. Rainbow Wahine
Janevia Taylor reached a milestone during the game when she scored her 1000th career point midway through the first half.
Taylor reached 1000 on her third point of the game - a free throw at the 10:33 mark. The senior from Pasadena, Calif., became just the 15th player in program history to accomplish the feat.
Taylor scored 12 of her 17 points in the second half and Pam Tambini poured in a career-high 22 points to lead a UH second-half rally. Hawai`i fell behind, 37-20, late in the first half, went into the locker room with a 13-point deficit and trailed by double-digits with seven minutes remaining. The Rainbow Wahine would not fold though and a late charge allowed them two opportunities to tie the game in the waning moments. However, Tambini missed a three-point bomb and when UH regained possession on a UTC turnover, Taylor's last ditch three-pointer in the final seconds was also off the mark.
The Lady Mocs, who controlled nearly the entire game and trailed only during the game's opening bucket, held on for the victory, the team's third straight. Tournament MVP Alex Anderson led the Chattanooga with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Shanara Hollinquest added 14 points and nine boards.
Chattanooga bolted out from the get-go, building a 10-point lead just five minutes in. The Rainbow Wahine struggled to keep up, shooting just 29 percent in the first half. Tambini scored 14 of the team's 26 first-half points as the rest of the team shot a combined 4-of-21 from the field.
Chattanooga kept UH at bay for most of the second half, but with seven minutes remaining, Hawai`i made a final push. Tambini's three-pointer at the one-minute mark cut the UTC lead to, 65-62, its smallest advantage since the opening moments of the game. However, that's as close as UH would get as the Rainbow Wahine were unable to convert on its final two possessions.
In the tournament consolation game Evansville defeated Portland State, 87-81.
The Rainbow Wahine have nearly two weeks off before hosting its final preseason tournament of the season, the Bank of Hawaii Invitational, Dec. 29-30. UH faces San Francisco on the tournament's opening night at 7:00 p.m.
All-Tournament Team
Shanara Hollinquest, Chattanooga
Kelsey Kahle, Portland State
Rebekah Parker, Evansville
Pam Tambini, Hawai`i
Janevia Taylor, Hawai`i
MVP: Alex Anderson, Chattanooga
-UH-