The UH-Hilo women’s basketball team needed someone to step up and fill the scoring void when Allie Navarette, the school’s career leader in points and rebounds, transferred to Metro State in Denver.
Mandi Kawaha delivered with 23 points on 9 of 21 shooting in UHH’s 71-54 loss to the Rainbow Wahine on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Vulcans relied on their perimeter shooting to grab a 33-32 halftime lead. They hit 6 of 9 from beyond the arc in the second quarter and finished 9 of 25 from 3-point range.
Sara Shimizu added nine points on 3 of 7 shooting from long distance, and Jenna Waki had eight points for the Vulcans, who counted the game as an exhibition.
Daejah Phillips scored 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting to lead the Rainbow Wahine (1-1), who counted the game as a non-conference contest.
Kelsie Imai, a Waiakea graduate, had five points in 22 minutes.
The Vulcans took better care of the ball with just nine turnovers to Manoa’s 22 giveaways.
But the Division I Wahine beat the Vuls in two key areas rebounding, 56-20, and bench points, 28-5.
Size played a part, too. UH outscored UHH in the paint, 46-12, and on putbacks, 17-0.
The Wahine worked the ball inside to score or draw fouls. They hit 13 of 24 free throws while the Vuls made just 5 of 12.
Men, UH 89, UHH 66: As first impressions go, first-year coach Kaniela Aiona can recruit. Two of his new players had impressive debuts.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, a 6-foot-6 freshman from New Zealand, had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
He showed the ability to score in the paint with slippery spin moves, a reason for his 7 of 12 shooting.
Darren Williams, a 5-8 junior guard from Chaffey College (Calif.), added 13 points and racked up four steals.
He’s a speed blazer on the court and fearless. He’d attack the rim against Manoa’s burly defense.
Williams, tougher than his slight 140-pound frame suggests, brings an impressive resume to Hilo. He was the conference MVP and averaged 17 points and six assists a game last season.
Sasa Vuksanovic, the ambidextrous scorer, had 15 points in 22 minutes and played with four fouls.
Like the UHH women, the Vuls quickly saw the difference between Division I and II programs. They were outrebounded, 53-28, and outscored in bench points, 42-11.
Aiona hit gold with Tait-Jones and Williams, the former a foundational piece for the future with a high ceiling.
Justin Webster scored 15 points to lead the Rainbow Warriors (2-0), who counted the contest as a nonconference game.
When the PacWest season kicks off in January, the Vulcans can take comfort that Jordan Graves had a rare off night. He scored eight points on 5 of 12 shooting.
Aiona gave everyone on the roster playing time, including Waiakea graduate Kiai Apele who scored three points in 11 minutes.
It was a sobering loss, to a bigger, taller, and more talented foe, but also a good opportunity to see what the new guys could do, and Tait-Jones and Williams didn’t disappoint at all.
“We did a nice job of getting in the paint, earning free throws, and playing unselfish,” Aiona said in a school release. “Manoa did a nice job of imposing their will at the rim. We new we would have both bright spots and areas to improve after tonight. I’m very excited to get back on the practice floor With this group.
“I’m proud of our men and how they are handling themselves in these tough times. We are anxious to get back into the gym to continue to improve.”