LONG BEACH, CALIF.—For the second consecutive night, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team leaned on the efforts of senior Amy Atwell to knock off and earn a road sweep of Long Beach State, 76-73 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Walter Pyramid.
 
Atwell followed up her 25 point performance on Friday with 23 points on Saturday, tallying 40 of the 45 minutes played. Her output helped the Rainbow Wahine (7-6, 6-5) move up from No. 6 to No. 4 in the Big West Conference standings. The Beach (11-7, 10-6) have dropped six in a row, all to conference opponents, but maintain their No. 3 position in the standings.
 
Much like their first matchup, the two teams played close throughout the afternoon, accounting for 14 ties and 13 lead changes. UH held a slight lead at halftime, 39-37, but the third frame went to the Beach, outscoring the 'Bows 17-9 for a 60-52 lead going into the final frame.
 
UH rallied in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 69-69 on an Atwell three-point bucket with two minutes on the clock. Both squads played lockdown defense to force overtime, marking the second time this season UH played into extra time.
 
Unlike the 'Bows encounter with Cal Poly in overtime on Feb. 5th, the offense and defense stepped up in big moments to push past LBSU. With 29 seconds left in the game, freshman guard Kelsie Imai broke a 73-73 tie to give UH the lead at 75-73, while sophomore Kasey Neubert hit a free throw with nine seconds on the clock forcing LBSU into a make or break situation. A missed three-point by the Beach as time expired handed the 'Bows their third win over their last four games.
 
Imai finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. At the same time, Neubert flirted with another double-double adding 14 points and nine rebounds. After a rough game against the Beach the day before, senior Jadynn Alexander bounced back with 10 points and three rebounds in a team-high 42 minutes.
 
In déjà vu like fashion, UH did commit 16 turnovers but balanced it out with 17 turnovers, same as the night before. Freshman guard Daejah Phillips led the team in distribution with six.
 
The 'Bows now head home for their final home series of the season with conference leader UC Davis on Mar. 5th and 6th. It will also be the first time UH has hosted a game at SimpliFi Arena since Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 23.