The UH-Hilo women’s basketball team is playing a good brand of ball where others, besides Mandi Kawaha, are stepping up.
But the Vulcans (3-2, 1-1 PacWest) battle league preseason No. 2 Hawaii Pacific (4-3, 1-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hilo Civic in their annual David vs. Goliath match.
The Sharks are 1-28 all time against the Vulcans, last lost to them in 2012 and have won 25 straight since.
There’s reason for optimism for the Vulcans, who beat Point Loma 78-66 on Monday at Hilo Civic behind a well-balanced effort.
It’s no surprise that when UHH wins Kawaha usually has a fantastic game. She scored a career-high 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range and made 5 of 6 free throws.
She had scoring help from Sara Shimizu, who added a career-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5 of 8 from long distance. Heaven Samayoa-Mathis had 13 points on 4 of 10 shooting, and Nikki Miller had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Better yet, the Sharks lost to the Sea Lions 69-54 on Dec. 2, when Amy Baum, the PacWest preseason player of the year, was held to just three points on 1 of 5 shooting in 39 minutes.
But mathematical equations don’t always hold up in sports. Just because Team A beat Team B, and Team C beat Team A doesn’t mean the Vulcans will beat the Sharks.
“They’re a very good team. They play an all-around good game and play really hard,” UHH coach David Kaneshiro said. “We have to play very hard, but have to execute, too. We have to play hard and smart and execute.
“They’ve got good players and a good offensive team. They’ve got good length and are solid on both ends of the floor.”
The Shark attack is a simple one. They rebound and run. Tavia Rowell, a 5-foot-10 junior guard, leads the offense with 16.6 points per game. Baum, a 5-7 senior guard, is next at 12.6 ppg.
One key for the Vulcans will be to stop the ball. When the Sharks grab a rebound, Baum is streaking down the floor looking to score or to feed a trailing Shark. She’s also tall enough to shoot over smaller defenders.
“We’ll go by kind of a committee. Obviously, it’s been this way for the past few years,” Kaneshiro said. “She’s a catalyst. She’s got good players around her, too. We can’t just lock in on her and forget about everyone else because someone else could go for 20 points plus on any given night.”
What makes the Sharks so tough is that they constantly reload. Baum will be gone after this season, but in comes 5-9 freshman guard Makaela Zedenryk, who’s averaging 8.0 ppg, and is from Australia, Baum’s home country.
The Vulcans have benefited from the arrival of 6-0 senior transfer Miller, who last played at Notre Dame de Namur in 2020 after the Argonauts deleted their athletics program.
Kawaha is averaging 19.2 ppg, Shimizu 15.0 ppg and Miller 11.4 ppg with 12.2 rebounds per game.
Miller has fortified a long weakness, rebounding, and she and 5-10 forward Kayla Revelo have given UHH a toughness in the paint. Revelo is averaging 4.2 ppg and 4.6 ppg in 16 minutes per game.
“Nikki has done a good job. She’s given us an presence inside, low-post scoring and rebounding,” Kaneshiro said. “She’s helped the team a lot, especially with the injuries we’ve had. She’s done a lot, considering she opted out last year. She stayed in shape and is playing with new teammates, new coaches, new everything. She’s well-liked by her teammates and has brought a lot to the team.”
The Vulcans have been without 5-10 junior forward Bree Olson, who’s has been out with a leg injury. There’s no timetable on her return. She averaged 7.5 ppg and 5.1 rpg during UHH’s COVID-19 spring season.
When she does return, Olson will give the front line depth, and she plays like worker bee Kawaha, who empties her fuel tank in every game.
The Vulcans have been playing hard, but the Sharks are a different animal than previous opponents. They play hard, smart and execute, UHH’s game plan against HPU, which also lost to No. 2 Lubbock Christian 73-52 on Nov. 26.
“They’re good. It’s a big challenge, but our players are looking forward to it,” Kaneshiro said.
UHH men
The Vulcans (5-4, 1-1) host the Sharks (3-4, 0-2) at 3 p.m. Sunday at Hilo Civic, and it’s about time UHH finds some consistency.
UHH started the season 4-0, lost four straight, and defeated PacWest preseason No. 1 Point Loma, which played without Kaden Anderson, the conference player of the year.
It’s important for the Vulcans to beat the teams they are expected to beat like the Sharks, who went 0-6 against UHH during the COVID-19 spring season.
UHH is 16-11 all-time against HPU and has won the past seven. The Sharks were picked to finish 10th, five spots behind the Vuls in the preseason poll, in the 11-team conference.
UHH sophomore forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is fourth in the conference with 16.8 points per game while freshman guard Donald McHenry is fifth at 16.4 ppg, and HPU senior Rodney Hounshell is sixth at 15.0 ppg.
Team photo, autograph
Both programs will hold an autograph session after their games and will offer a limited supply of team photos.