The UH-Hilo women’s basketball team took open shots but didn’t make many and didn’t share the ball well, but still beat Academy of Art 66-58 on Thursday night before 20 fans on UHH’s approved pass list at Hilo Civic, behind Noelle Sua-Godinet’s huge baskets off the bench.
The 5-foot-9 freshman scored the tying basket with under four minutes and added the go-ahed bucket with 3:38 left in the Vulcans’ win over the Urban Knights, who shot just 34% from the field and hit only 10 of 18 free throws.
“It was a tough game, and we showed a lot of heart,” UHH coach David Kaneshiro said. “Their players play hard and gave us a lot of trouble in the second half. In a game like this, sometimes, you can get frustrated, but we toughed it out. Longy (Sua-Godinet) had that up-and-under and a rebound in the end. It was a nice first game back for her.”
All of the fans wore a mask, but it wasn’t a completely safe environment because two of UHH’s floor sweepers didn’t wear a mask.
The Vulcans had just eight assists and 13 turnovers while the Urban Knights had five assists and 18 turnovers. In a sign of AAU’s misfiring, the Vulcans outscored the Urban Knights in the paint, 36-20. Through smaller, UH also outscored the visitors from San Francisco on fast-break points, 14-2.
It’s UHH’s first game since Dec. 19 at Hilo Civic, a 76-73 upset over No. 5 Alaska Anchorage, followed by six straight postponements.
Mandi Kawaha scored 16 points on 6 of 16 shooting, and Heaven Samayoa-Mathis added 15 points on 4 of 10 shooting to lead the Vulcans (6-2, 3-1 PacWest), who shot 39% from the field, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range.
Chanel Stuart hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range for 16 points, and Alisha Wilson added 15 points on 7 of 15 shooting off the bench to lead the Urban Knights (7-6, 4-2), who made 34% from the floor, including 6 of 18 from long distance and trailed 35-25 at halftime.
Right before Sua-Godinet tied the score, Stuart sank her fourth 3-pointer to give the Urban Knights a 56-54 lead with under five minutes.
UHH’s offense was stuck in the mud, but Sua-Godinet used her length to score under the basket and spark the Vulcans, who closed the game, going 6 of 6 on free throws. Samayoa-Mathis buried four in a row, and Kawaha hit a pair with 2.9 seconds left.
Two of the team’s top players didn’t play because of apparent injuries. UHH senior center Nikki Miller, who averages a double-double, and AAU graduate student guard Joy Krupa, who averages 11.3 points per game, were stuck on the sideline.
The Urban Knights had a strange PacWest December run. They lost to perennial doormat Dominican (70-66), defeated Concordia (64-61), Point Loma (68-60), had their games against Chaminade and Azusa Pacific postponed, beat Point Loma (70-61), had their game against Concordia postponed, and dismantled Holy Names (67-41) before their trip to Hilo.
In the first half, Kawaha scored 10 points on 5 of 11 shooting, and Samayoa-Mathis added nine points on 3 of 5 shooting to lift UHH to a 35-25 halftime lead.
The taller Urban Knights kept attacking the rim, but, luckily for the Vulcans, had terrible aim in the first half. They shot 33% from the field, often missing two-foot shots from the basket.
Kayla Revelo started in Miller’s place and scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in 17:34 minutes. Bree Olson played 19:54 minutes and had seven points and five rebounds.
Samayoa-Mathis sank a 3-pointer right before the buzzer to give UHH a 15-10 lead in the first quarter, and Kawaha hit a layup before the buzzer for a 35-25 halftime lead.