RENO, Nev.— The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team put together a strong third quarter surge to overcome a double-digit deficit to force overtime but fell on the road at Nevada 79-78 to wrap up the non-conference schedule.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (4-9) finished the month of December at 3-2, after going 1-7 in November. The game marked the second time UH went into overtime this year, the first being on Dec. 19 at UNLV. UH is now 1-1 in overtime contest this season. The Wolf Pack (4-7) won back-to-back games for the first time the season as they will travel to Utah State to begin Mountain West Conference play on Jan. 2.
 
"Lauren (Rewers) and Jay (Julissa Tago) put together their best games of the season for us," said head coach Laura Beeman. "But it comes down to consistency. Our non-conference schedule was designed to prepare us for our conference schedule, and I feel like we're ready. This team has shown it can come back and overcome deficits, we almost pulled it off today in regulation but fell just short. If we can take what we have and be more consistent, then we'll have a chance to compete with every team in the Big West."
 
The first 20 minutes of action was a struggle for UH, especially in the second quarter where the visiting squad only accounted for nine points, leading to a 36-25 deficit at the half. Sophomore center Lauren Rewers kept the 'Bows within striking distance accounting for 13 of her career-high 17 points in the first half.
 
As the third frame began, junior guard Julissa Tago began to heat up. The Wolf Pack lead dwindle to a tie at 49-49 as Tago accounted for 10 points in  10 minutes of action with the fourth quarter left to go.
 
The two squads began trading buckets as Tago stayed steady with the hot hand. With the game tied at 69-69 and 23 seconds on the clock, UH called a timeout for one last shot in regulation. Tago pulled up on the left wing with two seconds left, but her shot fell short, forcing overtime for the second time in the previous three games.
 
The overtime period matched the same pace as the fourth frame, as neither team led by more than four points. Trailing 79-75, senior forward Lahni Salanoa hit a three-point bucket with 55 seconds on the clock. Nevada was not able to add to its lead on the following position giving UH the ball and 29 ticks left to play. After a timeout by the UH bench and eight seconds left to go, senior guard Tia Kanoa rolled off a screen, pulling up just inside the free throw line, but the potential game-winner fell short for a 79-78 final.
 
Tago finished with a season-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor. Rewers' career-high in points was accompanied with a career-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.
 
As a team, UH struggled to keep possession of the ball with a season-high 23 turnovers, allowing 26 points off of turnovers, but controlled the rebounding battle 38-31, limiting the Wolk Pack to just 10 second-chance points.
 
UH will now look ahead to Saturday, Jan. 5 with the start of Big West Conference schedule. The 'Bows will travel to Cal State Fullerton before coming back to the island to host UC Davis on Jan. 12. Before the season, UH was picked to finish at No. 5 in the Big West with CSF projected to finish last at No. 9 and UCD at No. 2.