Nov. 17, 2007

Box Score

HONOLULU, Hawaii - The UC Davis women's basketball team outscored host Hawaii 14-0 to start the second half on Saturday night, turning a one-point deficit into a 13-point lead as the Aggies beat the Rainbow Wahine 73-52 in the second day of action at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

UC Davis, which outscored Hawaii 41-19 after halftime, remained unbeaten at 3-0. The Rainbow Wahine suffered their first loss of the season and are 1. Four UC Davis players scored in double figures, led by guard Anna Harp who had 14. Senior Jessica Campbell had 13 while Haylee Donaghe and Ellen Porshneva each had 12.

Megan Tinnin scored 13 points to pace Hawaii while center Tanya Smith had 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. UC Davis is 2-0 in the three-day, round-robin tournament heading into its finale against Washington on Sunday.

The Aggies, who led by as seven points in the first half, went into intermission with a 33-32 deficit after Hawaii used a 10-2 run over the final four minutes to take the lead. But the second half belonged to UC Davis which got a layup from Heather Bates to take a 34-33 lead, and then consecutive three-pointers and a three-point play from Campbell to assume a 46-33 lead with 16:28 to go.

UC Davis led 51-48 with 12:20 remaining after Harp nailed a trey but a three-pointer from Tinnin was part of a 10-0 run by Hawaii that cut the lead to just 51-48 with nine minutes remaining. But the Aggies put the clamp down defensively the rest of the game, holding the Rainbow Wahine to just one basket the rest of the way and outscoring them 22-4 down the stretch.

"We just talked at halftime about playing hard and to keep competing on the boards," said head coach Sandy Simpson. "All the credit goes to the kids on the boards and making some good decisions at the offensive end."

The Aggies held Hawaii to just 6-of-32 shooting (18.8 percent) in the second half, including 3 of 14 from beyond the arc. After shooting 44.4 percent before halftime, the Rainbow Wahine finished at just 30.5 percent (18 of 59). They made 7 of 26 three-point attempts overall.

UC Davis, which used a strong start to subdue Northern Arizona in its tournament opener on Friday night, scored six straight points to take a 19-13 lead in the first half after trailing by four points early on. Porshneva was key to the Aggies staying close in the early going, scoring their first eight points of the game.

Tied 23-23 with 7:43 left in the half, the Aggies got five points from Donaghe during a 7-0 surge over the next three minutes to take a 30-23 lead. Hawaii, however, rallied to take its halftime advantage.

"The other games we've had we've been in control from the start, even the exhibition games," said Simpson. "We could grow from this game as well because we had to battle and hold off a couple of rallies by them. And Hawaii's a good team. To beat them on their home floor is an accomplishment."

UC Davis shot 44.6 percent from the field, including making 6 of 13 from long distance. The Aggies had 14 assists in the game with five players getting at least two each. They also had 11 steals, including four from Donaghe.

Smith grabbed 10 of her 17 rebounds on the defensive glass, helping Hawaii own a 40-37 advantage on the boards. Saundra Cariago added 10 points for the Rainbow Wahine.

The Aggies are the only team to win their first two games of the tournament. Washington beat Northern Arizona, 83-70, in the other matchup on Friday. UC Davis will face the Huskies (1-3) at 5 p.m. (PST) on Sunday.