Yes, Alyssa Movchan came off exams and practiced hard before UH-Hilo’s women’s basketball team entered a back-to-back-to-back grind.
That’s nothing new, coach David Kaneshiro.
But the true test comes at game-time, which is all of a sudden becoming winning time for the Vulcans.
Movchan, a senior guard, far surpassed her career-high with 23 points Tuesday night, and none were bigger than her runner with 46 seconds remaining, giving UHH the lead for good as it pulled away for a 71-62 win against Saint Martin’s at Hilo Civic.
“In terms of shooting the ball, I don’t think we anticipated this the last two games,” Kaneshiro said of Movchan.
She shot 8 of 13 with five 3-pointers a day after scoring 13 points in a win against Holy Names.
“I know she didn’t shoot the ball as well as she wanted to before (the break), but she’s put in the practice time like she always does,” Kaneshiro said.
Allie Navarette added 17 points and Mandi Kawaha scored 13 for the Vuls (4-3), who were undaunted after giving up the first 10 points of the game, then finished strong after the Saints (4-7) took the lead 60-59 with 1:35 remaining on a basket by Saniah Simpson.
“I’m just very happy for our players,” Kaneshiro said. “They’ve worked really hard.”
Some games, it comes down to just making shots.
Movchan’s go-ahead hoop was difficult, but, before that, Maddie Beck’s was even harder. After Simpson put the Vuls down by one, Beck drove the line and put up a desperation shot just outside the block that banked home, and she was fouled. She completed the three-point play.
“Those were tough shots and we’re fortunate they go in,” Kaneshiro said.
The Saints, who had four players six feet tall or bigger, had a 42-28 rebound advantage that the Vulcans overcame.
UHH forced 24 turnovers
“They had a huge size advantage, and we knew that we had to pressure the ball,” Kaneshiro said in a school release. “We had a rough start, but we are still learning how we need to play to be successful. It’s nice to see them rewarded with a pair of wins.”
Navarette, who grabbed eight rebounds, followed Movchan’s runner with a three-point play to give the Vuls a 67-62 lead, and Kawaha was 4 for 4 from the line in the final 27 seconds. Makamae Gabriel scored six points and Beck had five.
Simpson finished with 17 points for the Saints, 15 of those in the second half. Claire Dingus, a 5-foot-11 freshman, had 18 points and seven rebounds.
UH-Hilo will play its third game in three nights on Wednesday, hosting No. 17 Alaska Anchorage at 5:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Anchorage beat Holy Names 75-58.