HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team put together a double-digit comeback in the second half to knock off the previously slated No. 1 team in the Big West Conference standings, Long Beach State 72-64 Saturday afternoon at Walter Pyramid.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (12-8, 8-2) rode the momentum set by graduate forward Amy Atwell as she dropped 20 points in the final 20 minutes of action, extending the 'Bows' win streak to four in a row, and moving them up to No. 1 in the conference standings. The Beach (15-4, 9-3) had their three-game win streak come to an end and have dropped back-to-back games at home, the previous coming to UC Davis on January 29th.
 
The two squads battled through the first quarter, with the Beach having a slight lead of 17-16 rolling into the second frame. The score remained close till halfway through when Atwell suffered her second foul of the half, sending her to the bench. LBSU followed it up with a 13-0 run extending their lead to double digits, leaning on the efforts of Maddi Utti with 16 points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes. UH closed the gap to single-digits at 39-30, heading into the break.
 
LBSU tried to build on their lead, extending it to 13 early in the third but UH clamped down on defense as Atwell came alive. After scoring five points in the first half, Atwell exploded for 20 points in the final 20 minutes pressing the charge forward on the comeback. The 'Bows strung together a 9-0 run to end the third, capturing the lead at 49-48.
 
With the game gridlocked at 58-58 with 5:25 on the clock, UH put away the Beach with a 14-6 run to end the game as Atwell scored 11 in the final frame. Comparative to the first half, the UH defense shut down Utti in the third and the fourth, only allowing her to score nine points, ending with a team-high 25 points.
 
Atwell claimed her fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds. She also accounted for the seventh time this season of hitting three or more three-pointers in a game, finishing five-of-seven from long distance. Freshman guard Olivia Davies played the counterpunch role with 17 points and seven rebounds. Davies' performance marks her fourth straight game of double-figure scoring as she matched her career-high of 17 points in three of those four games.
 
While the 'Bows struggled with turnover woes, combining for 18 on the day, resulting in 18 points on turnovers for the Beach. The rebounding battle was all UH, wiping the glass clean with a 47-29 advantage, including 14 offensive boards.
 
The 'Bows return home with only six games remaining on the schedule, four of those being at SimpliFi Arena before the start of the Big West Conference tournament. Next up are UC San Diego and UC Irvine; in early January, UH split their road games with the two, winning against the Anteaters while falling to the Triton. The first of two games is set for Thursday against UCSD at 7 p.m. HT.