Box Score
Photo Gallery

HONOLULU—The University of Hawai`i women's basketball team (6-11, 1-1 WAC) evened its conference record and snapped its three-game skid with a  strong 61-46 win over Louisiana Tech (8-10, 1-2 WAC). Sophomore Kamilah Jackson recorded her ninth double-double of the year to lead the Rainbow Wahine in their WAC home opener on Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
Jackson posted game-highs with 16 points and 15 rebounds to set the tone for UH. She went 4-of-12 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the free-throw line to help UH defeat the Lady Techsters for just the fourth time in school history. Jackson filled the box score with two assists, a block and a steal in 35 minutes of action. Freshman point guard Alissa Campanero added 11 points—nine of which came in the last four minutes of second half. She helped to seal the win down the stretch sinking 6-of-6 free throws and she put the game away with a 3-point shot made with the shot clock winding down and 10 seconds left in the game. Senior Breanna Arbuckle and Sydney Haydel also had solid games with nine points apiece. Arbuckle contributed eight rebounds, three assists and tied a season-high with four blocked shots. Haydel, who started just her fifth game of the season, added six boards.
 
As a team, the Rainbow Wahine defense held the Lady Techsters to just 26.4% shooting from the floor and outrebounded Louisiana Tech, 47-to-38. Hawai`i held La Tech to just 17 points and a 19.4 field-goal percentage in the first half—both season-lows for the UH defense. Louisiana Tech had been averaging 67.6 points a game with a .417 field-goal percentage. Hawai`i, on the other hand, shot 40.4% from the floor and 78.6% from the free-throw line.
 
Hawai`i took an early 2-0 lead, before the Lady Techsters' Jasmine Bendolph hit a 3-pointer to take a 3-2 lead—but that would be their only lead of the game. The 'Bows roared back on a 12-0 run to jump out to a 14-3 lead with 11:09 left in the first half. La Tech then went on a 6-0 run of their own to close the gap to 14-9, but UH never relinquished the lead and built it as big as 13 points mid-way through the second half.
 
It was just UH's fourth win over Louisiana Tech, who still holds a commanding 24-4 series lead. The 'Bows last defeated the Lady Techsters on March 6, 2008 in Honolulu, 84-77. Three of UH's four wins have come at home. It marked the first time any of the current Rainbow Wahine have been able to win against the perennial power, Lady Techsters. Last season, UH came up just short at home, falling to La Tech in overtime 74-65. Hawai`i is now 8-8 in their WAC home openers.
 
Next up for the Rainbow Wahine are the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 5:00 p.m. It will be the first game of a doubleheader with the UH men's game immediately following. The Rainbow Wahine will be signing autographs after the game on the concourse level.