Box Score

HONOLULU--The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine basketball team muscled its way to a 71-66 win over UNLV in the championship game of the Hawai`i Invitational Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH capitalized on its superior post play and weathered a second-half charge by the Lady Rebels to win their second tournament of the season.

Tournament Co-MVPs Natasja Allen and Christen Roper combined for 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks to power the Rainbow Wahine (5-2) to their second win a row. Roper did most of her damage in the first frame, when she scored 10 of her 12 points. Allen, meanwhile picked up the slack in the second half, pouring in 11 of her game-high 17 points.

UH led for the majority of the contest after scoring the first eight points of the game. However, the Lady Rebels (5-2) surged back and took their first lead of game, 39-38 on Sheena Moore's 3-pointer six minutes into the second half. The Lady Rebels would lead by as many as three and Constance Jink's 3-pointer gave UNLV a 46-45 lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

That's when the UH frontcourt took over. The Rainbow Wahine proceeded on a 17-5 run over the next six minutes to give UH a commanding 11-point advantage in the closing minutes. Roper, Allen, Callie Spooner and Jade Abele accounted for all but four of the points during the critical run. Abele, who was named to the all-tournament team, finished with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Rainbow Wahine also got a career-high 13 points out of point guard Michelle Gabriel.

The games started slowly for both teams as they combined for five turnovers and seven missed shots in the first three minutes. The Lady Rebels missed their first nine shots from the field and did not get on the board until Moore's 3-pointer more than six minutes into the game. Despite the horrendous start, the Lady Rebels stayed in the game with their 3-point shooting, hitting 4-of-6 to trail 31-27 at half.

UNLV's aggressive, pressing defense caused 17 UH turnovers, but it also sent the home team to the line 31 times. The Rainbow Wahine out-scored the perimeter-oriented Lady Rebels 24-5 at the line and out-rebounded them 38-31.

Also named to all-tournament team were Jinks, Jenny Pfeiffer of Kentucky and Tamika Dudley of Long Island.

UH next hosts the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic, December 20-21. The Rainbow Wahine will face Loyola Marymount at 3 p.m. on Friday. Also in the tournament are No. 10 Texas Tech and Chattanooga.