Box Score

BOISE, Idaho—The University of Hawai`i women's basketball team (6-11, 0-4 WAC) battled hard but lost at Boise State (11-7, 1-3 WAC) 69-63 on Saturday night at Taco Bell Arena. Shawna-Lei Kuehu scored a career-high 18 points and Kamilah Jackson grabbed 22 rebounds to lead the Rainbow Wahine in the Western Athletic Conference game.

 

Three Rainbow Wahine—Kuehu, Megan Tinnin, and Keisha Kanekoa—all posted double-digits in scoring. Tinnin scored 16 points with a game-high four 3-point shots made and grabbed nine rebounds while Kanekoa scored 14 points and dished out a season-high six assists. 

Kuehu was shackled with early foul trouble, played just 26 minutes--including the last nine minutes of the game with four fouls. But had a full stat line with eight rebounds, an assist a block and a steal. She went 7-of-16 from the floor and sunk a career-high three 3-pointers for her best offensive output of her UH career.

 

Jackson's 22 rebounds marked the third time this season that she's had more than 20 rebounds. She secured a season-high 25 boards against CSU Bakersfield and 20 against Louisiana Tech. Jackson was third in the NCAA DI with 12.6 rebounds per game. After UH's two road games in which she had 18 rebounds at Idaho and 22 tonight, she is now averaging 13.2 rebounds per game.

 

In a game which saw 10 lead changes and eight ties, the Rainbow Wahine out-rebounded its opponent (59-43) for the third straight game for its fourth straight loss. Hawai`i has now lost 14 straight WAC road games. Once again turnovers played a key role in the Rainbow Wahine's loss, as Boise State converted UH's 21 turnovers into 24 points and at the free-throw line, the 'Bows were able to hit just .500 (8-of-16) whereas the Broncos hit .750 (18-of-24).

 

Boise State had build as big a lead as eight points mid-way through the second half, but Hawai`i was able to whittle it down to a single point on a 3-pointer by Kuehu with 1:57 left in the game. But the Broncos pulled away in the end on a jumper by Lauren Lenhardt and three free throws by Janie Bos.

 

The Broncos' Lenhardt tied a school record with 37 points in the game. She scored 23 of BSU's 30 points in the first half alone.

 

Hawai`i continues its five-straight conference road swing next week at San Jose State on Jan. 22 at 7:00 p.m.