Game Notes

HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team (8-13, 3-3 WAC) continues its three-game home stand against Utah State (14-6, 5-1 WAC) in its “Play 4 Kay” or “Pink Zone” game to further breast cancer awareness. Hawai'i's game against the Aggies at 7:00 p.m. will follow UH's annual Alumnae Game which starts at 5:00 p.m. and features players spanning four decades.

The Rainbow Wahine are looking to rebound after a tough home loss to Idaho on Thursday night. The 'Bows squandered an 18-point lead early in the second half to eventually fall to the hot-shooting Vandals, 69-61. In the loss, Jackson once again led the 'Bows with her 12th double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and a season-high 20 rebounds. Alissa Campanero and Kanisha Bello both added 11 points a piece. Campanero sank three 3-pointers and was 2-of-2 from the free throw line. She also dished out a team-high five assists with two rebounds. Bello scored all 11 points in the first half coming off the bench. 

Overall, Jackson continues to lead the way for UH. The sophomore from Oakland, Calif. is averaging a double-double with 14.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Her 11.0 boards ranks 10th in the NCAA DI and No. 1 in the WAC. Jackson is also currently ranked No. 4 in the nation with 12 double-doubles this season. Jackson has upped her game across the board as a sophomore—she has posted a higher free-throw percentage (.673), over 20 more assists (44), more blocked shots (13), and is averaging just over three more points per game this season.

Senior Breanna Arbuckle has also started all 21 games this year and is averaging 8.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. Arbuckle is one blocked shot away from tying Jeanne Wade's career mark of 134 for fourth place in the UH career record book. She has also improved her free-throw shooting percentage by almost .200 points and is shooting .632 (67-for-106) this season. 

The annual UH Alumnae Gameat 5:00 p.m. will precede the contest between UH and Utah State which tips off at 7:00 p.m. Nearly 40 former Rainbow Wahine players are scheduled to be in attendance for the alumnae game, with about 20 playing in the game—including current Hawai'i head coach Dana Takahara-Dias and associate head coach Da Houl. Coaching the Green team will be UH-Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and the White team will be coached by UH Associate Athletics Director and Senior Women's Administrator Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano.

Scouting Utah State
Utah State women's basketball concludes its longest WAC roadtrip of the season in Honolulu. The Aggies are off to their best WAC start (5-1) since joining the league for the 2005-06 season. USU's only loss came at the hands of WAC leader Fresno State. On Thursday night, the Aggies came from behind to defeat San Jose State on Feb. 2 to win their third-straight game, 78-73. It was also USU's fourth-straight WAC road win this season with wins against the Spartans, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech and Idaho. It is the first time since the 1975-76 season that Utah State has won four-straight road games.

The Aggies' offense has been on point and features four players who are averaging in double figures. USU is led by senior Ashlee Brown who is averaging a team-high 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Brown is the only USU player to start all 20 games this season and she leads the team with 29.0 minutes per game. She is a leader across the board for Utah State as she also has team-highs with 21 blocks, 42 steals, and 95 field goals made. Brown is second on the team with 48 assists. Junior Devyn Christensen scores an average of 12.8 points per game and has a team-high 32 3-pointers made this season. She is second on the team with 30 steals. Brooke Jackson and Maddy Plunkett are also averaging just over 10 points a game. Jackson has 10.7 points and 3.5 rebounds a game. She leads USU with a .871 free-throw percentage (54-for-62) and is third on the team with 27 treys. Plunkett is scoring 10.1 points and is second on the team with 4.0 rebounds a game. Jennifer Schlott has a team-high 49 assists.

GAME 22: HAWAI'I VS. UTAH STATE

What: Hawai'i (8-12, 3-2 WAC) vs. Idaho (5-16, 0-5 WAC)

Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. HT

Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) - Honolulu, HI

Television: Live statewide on OC Sports (channel 12-standard or Ch. 1012-HD) with Jim Leahey (play-by-play) and Lori Santi (color). Re-telecast at 10:00 pm following the game.

Video Streaming: Live video streaming available for a fee on oceanic.streaming.com

Radio: ESPN 1500 AM will carry the game live with Dave Kawada (play-by-play) and Tiff Wells (analyst). 

Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com

Ticket Prices:  General admission-adult: $7; General Admission-Senior Citizen: $5; Students (ages 4-high school): $3; UH Manoa Students receive admission to regular season home games by presenting a valid UH I.D.

Promotions:  Jack in the Box is the game sponsor on Saturday and will distribute 200 seat cushions and award Jack Cash to participants in the eating contest at halftime. Fans can enter to participate at the marketing table inside gate A

Coaches: Dana Takahara-Dias is in her third year at UH with an overall record of 29-52 and a WAC record of 12-26. Utah State's Raegan Pebley is in her ninth season with the Aggies and has a 102-151 record overall.

Series History: Hawai'i is 9-7 overall against Utah State in 16 meetings. The Rainbow Wahine are 8-4 against the Aggies since USU joined the WAC.  Last season, the teams both won games at home with Utah State winning in Logan, 52-41, while Hawai'i won in Honolulu in overtime, 72-71. 

-UH-