Box Score
HONOLULU - Hawai`i gave a gritty second-half effort but eventually fell short against Boise State, 62-53, Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Broncos (14-4, 5-0 WAC) remained undefeated in Western Athletic Conference play while handing UH (7-11, 1-5 WAC) its sixth loss in the last seven games.
The win was Boise State's first ever in Honolulu. UH entered the game having won all five meetings at the Stan Sheriff Center since the Broncos joined the WAC in 2001. The Broncos have now won three of the last four meetings in a series once dominated by the Rainbow Wahine.
Tasha Harris led three Broncos in double-figures with a game-high 16 points, including 11 points in the second half to help Boise State quell a UH rally. Jessica Thompson added 14 points, while Jackie Lee chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Tanya Smith recorded her third double-double in the last four games with 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Rainbow Wahine. Junior point guard Amy Kotani provided a spark off the bench with a career-high 10 points, all coming in the second half, while also adding six rebounds and three assists.
Boise State led for nearly the entire game, but had to hold off a UH charge in the second half to pick up the win. After eight lead changes in the first six minutes of the game, the Broncos took control with a 20-6 run that gave them their biggest lead of the game, 28-15. The Broncos held a 32-23 lead at the break and inched its advantage to 10 points, 45-35, midway through the second half.
But UH put together a 9-0 run, capped by an Iwona Zagrobelna layup, to cut the deficit to 45-44, with less than eight minutes remaining. UH continued to stay within striking distance thanks to the gusty play of the 5-foot-2 Kotani who nailed a trio of three-pointers in the second half, her second of which put UH within two points with just over five minutes remaining. That's as close as UH would get though, as Harris scored five of Boise State's next six points to give the Broncos some distance.
Hawaii next heads for the road for two games starting with a match-up versus San Jose State on Thursday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. PST.
-UH-
