There was no feeling-out period for Mandi Kawaha, no yielding to the veterans as she got her feet wet.
The UH-Hilo freshman’s assertiveness was evident from the outset Friday when she flashed a pair stop-and-start moves, reminiscent of her BIIF days at Hilo High, for early baskets.
Off an running, Kawaha spurred a three-guard lineup with 16 points and five assists as the Vulcans pushed past Multnomah 74-51 in their season opener at Hilo Civic.
“I felt comfortable,” said the 5-foot-2 Kawaha, who shot 7 of 11 from the field, including a 3-pointer on her first college shot.
She was just getting going during a nine-point first quarter
Asked if anything surprised her about her debut, Kawaha said, “Getting a lot of dribble penetration.”
Coach David Kaneshiro answered differently.
“No, she’s quick,” he said. “Good with the ball in her hands, makes good decisions.
“We told her to be aggressive, we want her to be aggressive.”
Celebrating her 19th birthday, Allie Navarette, the team’s top returning player, spent more than half of the second quarter on the bench saddled with three fouls and just two points, but she scored 11 of her 18 points in the fourth, also shooting 7 of 11, as UHH pulled away from the cold-shooting Lions (4-2), an NAIA team from Portland, Ore.
Guards Alyssa Movchan (11) and Sara Shimizu (all 10 in second half) also scored in double figures, and the quick lineup helped the Vuls force 22 turnovers.
“I liked our energy,” Kaneshiro said, “but there was a lot we can improve on.”
The teams play again Saturday night at 5 p.m., with the UHH men and Simpson to follow at 7:30 p.m.
The Vuls appeared poised to put the game on ice midway through the third quarter, after a steal and layup by Kawaha, and jumpers by Navarette and Maddie Beck (eight points) thrust them into a 50-33 lead.
But Multnomah finished the quarter on a 13-0 run as the Vuls missed their last six shots of the period.
“We just got together and spoke to each other and said we need to pick it up on defense and really watch the shooters,” Kawaha said.
Navarette shot 5 of 8 in the fourth, and the 6-0 sophomore grabbed six rebounds, as did Chyann Gabriel, a 2015 Kamehameha-Hawaii graduate who made her UHH debut.
The downside of the three-guard lineup was the Vuls allowed 19 offensive rebounds.
Amber Szmyd led Multnomah with 13 points before fouling out. The Lions commanded a 47-33 rebounding advantage but shot just 29 percent.
Kawaha made two steals and turned the a ball over just once.
With the the first half winding down, she drove and dumped the ball to Malia Lee for a layup as the Vuls went to the break leading 38-23.
“She’s got to be aggressive, so she can figure out what she can get away with at this level,” Kaneshiro said. “We’re going to need her to keep doing that throughout the year.