LIHU‘E — The University of Hawai‘i women’s basketball team fell to New Mexico State in its Western Athletic Conference opener, 74-58. Senior Keisha Kanekoa led UH with a team-high 17 points while freshman Kamilah Jackson added 12 with a game-high
LIHU‘E — The University of Hawai‘i women’s basketball team fell to New Mexico State in its Western Athletic Conference opener, 74-58. Senior Keisha Kanekoa led UH with a team-high 17 points while freshman Kamilah Jackson added 12 with a game-high nine rebounds on Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center, states a release from the UH athletic department.
Kanekoa went 6-of-13 from the floor and was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line with a team-high four assists and a steal in 38 minutes of action. Jackson ended up just one rebound shy of a double-double. Shawna-Lei Kuehu ended the game with eight points along with three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Hawai‘i took an early five-point lead four minutes into the first half, but the Aggies erased the deficit on three straight baskets to give NMSU the lead and they never looked back.
The Rainbow Wahine battled through the first 20 minutes and were down 36-33 at the half as Kuehu scored on a last-second lay-up at the buzzer.
But in the second half, the ‘Bows couldn’t match the Aggies’ offensive production. NMSU pulled away, building an 18-point lead. The Aggies outscored UH 38-25 in the second half, shooting 54 percent (14-of-26) while holding Hawai‘i to just seven baskets after the break for a total of 28 percent from the floor. Although the ‘Bows committed just 17 turnovers, NMSU capitalized, converting 19 points off the UH errors.
New Mexico State had four of its five starters post double-digits in points, led by Tabytha Wampler’s 17. Jasmine Lowe added 16, Madison Spence scored 14 points, and Danisha Corbett chipped in 13. Lowe had a game-high five assists and five steals, while Corbett led the Aggies with eight rebounds.
In the loss, Kanekoa passed former Rainbow Wahine Tondi Redden for 14th place all-time in scoring with 1,040 career points. Redden scored 1,023 points for UH from 1986-90.
Hawai‘i will next face perennial WAC power, Louisiana Tech at 5 p.m. on Saturday It will be the first game of a doubleheader with the UH men’s basketball game against Boise State to follow at 7:30 p.m.
