Asia Wilson grabbed a rebound and hit a basket in the paint Friday night, and UH-Hilo was in business, trailing Cal State Dominguez by just a point with 2:43 remaining.
From there, however, when the Vulcans needed a stop they couldn’t get it – not with the way the Toros shot from the free-throw line – and they couldn’t find a response either, falling 72-62 in their season-opener at the Seasider Tournament in Laie, Oahu.
Like after any first time out, UH-Hilo coach David Kaneshiro recognized his team had issues to clean up, starting with 22 turnovers.
“They put some good ball pressure on us,” Kaneshiro said. “I thought our turnovers and their rebounding were the difference in us not getting it done.”
Don’t be fooled by the final margin. Playing a perennial contender from the California Collegiate Athletic Association that visited the islands with three games under its belt, UH-Hilo was in the contest until Cal Dominguez (2-2) salted the game away at the line, hitting 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch.
“I thought we did some good things,” Kaneshiro said.
In her Vulcans’ debut, Smith scored grabbed 17 rebounds and the 6-foot senior forward accounted for all 11 of her team’s points off the bench.
The Toros got a great effort from their reserves, who scored 36 points, led by Jocelyn Diaz (16 points, 13 rebounds).
Sydney Mercer led the Vulcans with 19 points, making her team’s only two 3-pointers, and returning leading scorer Kim Schmelz added 14 but had a tough night fron the field, making just 5 of 15.
The Vulcans shot 35 percent.
Despite Patience Taylor’s 12 rebounds, Cal State Dominguez was stronger on the glass (49-43).
Because of injuries, Hilo High grad Sharlei Graham-Bernisto started, and although the freshman provided four assists, she was also 1 of 7 from the floor and committed five turnovers.
“We didn’t execute consistently enough,” Kaneshiro said. “We hurt ourselves, but give (Dominguez) credit.”
Simone Thompson’s 3-pointer gave the Toros a five-point lead with 2:07 remaining, and after a timeout and miss by Mercer, Thompson hit two free throws as Cal State Dominguez pulled away.
