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HONOLULU-The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team (4-3, 0-0 Big West) gave No. 11/12 North Carolina (7-0, 0-0 ACC) everything they had but came up just short, falling to the Tar Heels, 74-65 on the final day of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Shootout. Shawna-Lei Kuehu was clutch for Hawai`i scoring 28 points while Destiny King recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Rainbow Wahine got off to a fast start again, with Kuehu being the driving force to begin the game. She scored 10 of UH's first 14 points -including Hawai'i's first eight points of the game. The 'Bows led 6-2 early with 16:18 left in the half, but North Carolina came roaring back, going on a 12-to 2 run to take a six point lead of their own. Then Hawai'i battled back to tie the game at 14-14 on a 6-to-0 run of their own with 10:38 left. Later, Karaitiana drilled a trey to tie the game again for the fourth time at 27-27 but the Tar Heels reeled off 12-straight points with a minute-and-a-half remaining and eventually took a 39-31 lead into the half.

In the second half, North Carolina's lead increased to as much as 13, but the 'Bows kept fighting. UH had one last charge in them, as they went on an 11-to-2 run to cut their deficit to just four, at 62-58 with 4:23 left in the game. But that would be as close as UH would get, as UNC made 8-of-10 free throws down the home stretch to seal their win.

Kuehu ended up just one point shy of tying her career-high (29) set last week against No. 14 California. She did, however, set new career-highs making 14-of 16 free throws. Kuehu went 7-for-16 from the floor with five rebounds two assists, a blocked shot and three steals to fill her stat line. She now is just 34 points short of hitting the 1,000 point milestone. Against Prairie View A&M earlier, the sixth-year senior passed the 500-rebound mark and currently has 966 points and 508 rebounds. If Kuehu is able to surpass the 1,000 point mark, she will become just the 10th player in Rainbow Wahine basketball history to do so.

For King, it was her third career double-double as she shot an efficient 5-for-8 in field goals and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe. She had five offensive and five defensive boards to pace the 'Bows and also had one assist.

Ashleigh Karaitiana continued her double-digit scoring streak, tallying 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting with three 3-pointers. She added four rebounds with a team-high four assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

The scrappy Rainbow Wahine out-rebounded North Carolina, 39-to-35 and outscored UNC in the paint, 32-to-24. UH also had a 17-to-6 advantage in second chance points, but the Tar Heels capitalized on Hawai'i's miscues, scoring 24 points off of UH's 16 turnovers. UNC's depth on their bench also made a difference, outscoring UH's reserves, 20-to-8.

North Carolina went undefeated to capture the Rainbow Wahine Shootout and improved their record to a perfect 7-0 overall.

Hawai'i continues their seven game home stand with a single game against Pacific on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be played at the Stan Sheriff Center.

2014 Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Shootout All-Tournament Team
Jeanette Jackson - Prairie View A&M
Lili Thompson - Stanford
Shawna-Lei Kuehu - Hawai`i
Amber Orrange - Stanford
Allisha Gray - North Carolina

Most Valuable Player - Latifah Coleman, North Carolina