Box Score
HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine basketball team got off to a fast start and held off a late rally to defeat San Jose State, 64-53, Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Wahine (14-12, 8-6 WAC) senior class went out in style in its home finale, leading the way for the team's seventh straight win.
UH's five outgoing seniors - Cassidy Chretien, Brittany Grice, Amber Lee, Pam Tambini and Janevia Taylor - earned the starting nod and got the Rainbow Wahine on an 11-2 run to start the game. Hawaii never trailed in the game, building its lead to as many as 19 points early in the second half, before holding off a Spartan run that cut the lead to six in the final minutes.
Four of the seniors finished in double figures, including a career-high 12 points for Lee in her first career start. Grice led the way with 14 points, Taylor added 12 and Tambini, a San Jose native, notched her second double-double versus the Spartans this year with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Chretien chipped in eight points and a team-high three assists.
UH used a 17-2 run late in the first half and early in the second to help turn the game. Clinging to a 24-20 lead with five minutes left in the first, the Rainbow Wahine scored seven unanswered points to take a 31-20 lead at the break. UH then went on a 10-2 run to start the second and held a commanding 43-24 with 15 minutes left.
The Rainbow Wahine maintained that double-digit lead for most of the second half, though the Spartans slowly chipped away. Brittany Powell's bucket with two minutes left cut the UH lead to 57-51. UH, however, scored seven of the game's final nine points to seal the win.
With the win the Rainbow Wahine moved into a tie for fourth in the Western Athletic Conference standings with Fresno State. UH also capped a perfect month of February at 6-0.
UH closes out its WAC regular-season schedule with a pair of games in Idaho. The Rainbow Wahine start the trip with a meeting versus the Idaho Vandals on Thursday, March 1. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. PST.
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