Height matters.
UH-Manoa used it to its advantage Thursday night, towering over UH-Hilo in a 62-26 exhibition basketball victory in front of 1,110 fans at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
The Vulcans managed just eight field goals, shooting 18 percent from the field, and scored only two points in the second quarter.
“It felt good to go out and play someone else for a change,” UH junior forward Makenna Woodfolk said in a school release after scoring 11 points. “We felt good at times, but we have things to work on as we look ahead.”
Sophomore center Lauren Rewers led the way for the Wahine with 15 points and nine rebounds. UH opens the season Tuesday at home against Pepperdine.
“I’ve been working on keeping the ball high and attacking the basket,” Rewers said. “I felt good personally, but as a team, I felt even better because we were working on so many different things to get ready for our first game of the season.”
The average margin of victory the eight times the Division I and II schools have met is 26.3 points, and though this was the Vulcans’ worst offensive showing in the series, they hung in defensively.
Both teams were missing some of their top players and neither shot well from 3-point range. The Vuls suited up eight players, the Wahine nine.
Sophomore Allie Navarette, UH-Hilo’s leading returning scorer and rebounder, led the way with nine points and five rebounds on 3-of-13 shooting.
Hilo High grad Mandi Kawaha started in her debut and scored five points with five turnovers in 35 minutes. Another freshman, Konawaena graduate Mikayla Tablit, didn’t play as she nurses a knee injury, and the same goes for junior Kim Schmelz.
UH forced 24 turnovers, leading to 20 points, and its height advantage showed up all over the box score; UHH was outrebounded 45-27 and outscored in the paint 40-8.
Alyssa Movchan scored five points for the Vuls and Kamehameha-Hawaii alum Chyann Gabriel came off the bench to add four in her Vulcans debut.
UHH opens the regular season Nov. 16-17 at Hilo Civic with games against Multnomah, an NAIA school in Oregon.
Kinoshita earns PacWest golfer award
UH-Hilo senior Jared Kinoshita was named the PacWest golfer of the week after he won medalist honors at the Dennis Rose tourney. He set a program record for three rounds at 11-under 205, including a single-round record 65 in the opener.
The Vulcans shot 857 to win the tourney and beat three top 10 teams: No. 2 Western Washington, No. 6 Dixie State, and No. 7 Sonoma State.
It was the second PacWest golfer of the week for Kinoshita, who was honored Sept. 27.
UH-Hilo blanks Argos 4-0 in soccer
The UHH women’s soccer team scored a season-high four goals to beat Notre Dame de Namur 4-0 on Thursday in Belmont, Calif.
Melani Avalos, Hedda Bjerklund, Tiera Arakawa, and Carlie Reader scored for the Vuls (9-4-2, 6-3-1 PacWest), who close their season on Saturday.
In the men’s game, the Argonauts pummeled the Vulcans 8-1.
Bradley Davis scored for UHH (4-11, 3-7 PacWest), who were outshot, 29-7.
UHH cross country championships Friday
UHH’s five freshmen and one senior will run in the PacWest cross country championships for the first time on Friday at Woodwark Park in Fresno, Calif.
Senior Meghan Langbehn began running last year but missed the PacWest meet with a knee injury. The five freshmen will run the 6 kilometer distance for only the second time.
The Vulcans will suit Langbehn, running in her final college race, along with freshmen Olivia Jarvis, Annaka Barragan, Lily Gavagan, Caitlin Kawaiaea, and Makena Morris.
UHH will race with 11 other teams for a PacWest title and individual honors. The top 21 runners will earn All-PacWest designation.
