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VIDEO: Game Recap (courtesy of Ka Leo O Hawai'i) 

HONOLULU—The University of Hawai`i women's basketball team (9-9, 5-1 Big West) evened their record at 9-9 and is now a half-game back of Big West-leading Pacific with a 61-43 win over Cal Poly (10-7, 4-2 BWC) on Thursday night. Hawai`i's was led by Ashleigh Karaitiana's 17 points while Kamilah Martin added 14. Sydney Haydel corralled a career-high seven rebounds to pace the 'Bows who held the Mustangs to a season-low 43 points.
 
Karaitiana was 8-of-12 from the floor with a trey plus four rebounds, and an assist. It was the 10th time this season that she scored in double-figures and fourth time that she scored a team-high in points.
 
Martin was an efficient 5-of-7 in field goals and 4-for-4 from the free throw line with five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal to fill her stat line. It marked the fourth straight game and 15th time this season that Martin has posted double-digits in points.
 
Shawna-Lei Kuehu and Vicky Tagalicod came off the bench to add eight points apiece. Kuehu also grabbed five boards with a steal and tied her career-high with four blocked shots. Tagalicod tied her season-high, dishing out four assists while adding three rebounds and a steal.
 
Hawai`i's defense stymied the Mustangs, holding the second-ranked scoring offense in the Big West to just 27.2% shooting from the floor. As a team, Cal Poly edged out UH on the glass, 40-to-39, but Hawai`i had the advantage in points in the paint (42-to-30); points off of turnovers (19-to-8); second chance points (16-to-12); and bench scoring (20-to-13).
 
The Rainbow Wahine were locked in and focussed from the get-go. After Cal Poly got a pair of free throws to start the game, UH caught fire, going on a 21-to-2 run early in the first half—including 14-straight points from the 16:25 mark until the 10:44 mark when Cal Poly's Ariana Elegado sank a trey to snap their scoring drought. Hawai`i maintained their lead going into the half, shooting 55.2% from the floor while edging out the Mustangs on the glass 18-to-16. Karaitiana led UH going into the break with nine points while Martin, Kuehu, Tagalicod and Kalei Adolpho all had six points apiece. 
 
In the second-half, Cal Poly came out on a 6-2 run to cut their deficit to 11 points right out of the gate. But that was as close as the Mustangs would get the rest of the game as the 'Bows started to pull away on a 6-to-0 run of their own and later a 10-to-0 run that was highlighted by three straight buckets made by Karaitiana that put the game away.
 
At 5-2 in the Big West, its UH's best start in conference since the 2002-03 season under Vince Goo.
 
The Honorary Captains for the game were Coach Dennis Agena and Coach Mike Taylor. Coach Agena's passion has been teaching basketball fundamentals for the past 47 years. He has coached at several local high schools but is most known for his work at the Kalakaua Basketball Clinics. Coach Taylor coached a combined 21 seasons for Maryknoll and Punahou—winning eight conference titles and four state championships with the Buffanblu.