Nov. 20, 2000
HONOLULU - Western Kentucky put together a furious second-half rally to wipe out a 12-point deficit but misfired on a potential game-tying three-pointer, bowing to Hawaii, 73-70, Sunday evening in the final game of the Hawaiian Regent Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Wahine won all three of their tournament games to claim the championship, while WKU finishes in third place behind Pepperdine.
Senior All-America forward ShaRae Mansfield (Louisville, Ky./Manual HS) scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half to lead four Lady Toppers in double figures. Junior guard Natalie Powers (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo HS) and sophomore guard Kristina Covington (Elizabethtown, Ky./Elizabethtown HS) each carded 16 points and freshman guard Jamie Truitt (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo HS) knocked down four three-point goals for 12 points. Mansfield and Powers represented WKU on the all-tournament team.
Kylie Galloway tallied a game-high 26 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and tournament MVP Crystal Lee added 19 points for Hawaii, which picks up its first win over the Lady Toppers in three all-time meetings. Both teams had good shooting touches, with Western going 10-of-18 (55.6%) from three-point land and UH winding up almost perfect at the free throw line (20-21, 95.2%).
"This was a great basketball game and a great end to a terrific tournament," Western head coach Steve Small said. "We learned a whole lot about ourselves and showed a lot of heart, desire and grit. You hate to come out on the short end of a close game, but I thought we had a real chance to win at the end and that's good to see."
Western (1-2) matched Hawaii shot for shot in the early going, as both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field for the first six minutes of action. The Rainbow Wahine logged an 8-2 run, capped by a three-point goal from Janka Gabrielova, to take their largest lead of the half (19-12) with 12:49 to go. The Lady Toppers quickly answered with a 14-2 spree, highlighted by a trio of three-pointers from Truitt, to pull in front by five with 7:21 remaining. Neither team would lead by more than five points for the rest of the half, with Hawaii taking a 34-31 edge to the locker room.
The Rainbow Wahine (3-0) never trailed in the second half, but could never quite shake Western. The hosts took a seven-point lead five times in the first 11 minutes before the Lady Toppers reeled them back in with a variety of long-range shots. UH then mounted a 13-4 run, finished off by a pair of free throws from Lee, to open up its biggest margin of the night at 64-52 with 6:35 left.
Trailing by 12 at the six-minute mark, Western went to work, scoring 16 of the next 21 points to cut the lead to a single point on Covington's fourth trey of the game with two minutes to go. The Lady Toppers then forced turnovers on three consecutive Hawaii possessions, but could only manage two free throws from Mansfield to answer a basket by UH's Christen Roper. Galloway hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to rebuild a three-point lead before WKU had a chance to tie in the waning seconds. However, a three-point try by freshman guard Camryn Whitaker (Cynthiana, Ky./Harrison County HS) was off the mark with one second left and UH claimed the victory.
Western Kentucky will return to the mainland Tuesday morning in preparation for its home opener Friday at 7 p.m. (CST) against Evansville at E.A. Diddle Arena. Last season, the Lady Toppers rallied in the final five minutes to dismiss the Purple Aces, 49-46, at the Unilever Lady Tiger Classic in Columbia, Mo.
-- WKU --
