Record books, such as they are at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, were being searched before Saturday’s nonconference women’s baskßetball game against Alaska Anchorage for fear of what might befall the Vulcans in their holiday matinee visit from one of the best Division II teams in the nation.
Record books, such as they are at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, were being searched before Saturday’s nonconference women’s baskßetball game against Alaska Anchorage for fear of what might befall the Vulcans in their holiday matinee visit from one of the best Division II teams in the nation.
The other night on Oahu in their second game in two nights, the Seawolves, last season’s national championship runners-up and the No. 8-ranked team nationally last week, routed Chaminade, 99-60, a team the Vulcans lost to at home in their last game.
Not to worry, there were no new smears on the UHH women’s record books after this one, just a 78-39 loss that dropped the Vulcans to their fourth straight defeat and left them 1-6 prior to Monday’s afternoon’s 5 p.m. game when they get back into Pacific West Conference play against Dominican.
“I have a lot of respect for (Anchorage coach) Ryan McCarthy,” said UHH coach David Kansehiro, “for what they do, not just for their talent. They play hard all the time and that’s pretty impressive.”
Alaska Anchorage wasn’t able to maintain its leading national average in steals (18 per game), with just 10 against UHH, but it puffed up its 31.6 scoring margin that entered the week as third best nationally.
Hawaii Hilo scored 31 of its 39 points in the second (17) and fourth (14) quarters, allowed just 4 points each by the Seawolves in the two other quarters.
“We played pretty well most of the time,” said Anchorage coach Ryan McCarthy. “We had a bit of a lull there in the second quarter but i give Hilo credit on that, they did a good job and made us pay for the times we didn’t play as hard as we need to play.”
The Seawolves came out playing hard and quickly assumed a 13-0 lead at which point the game almost seemed to be decided.
Vanessa Mancera scored the Vulcans’ basket with 4:06 left in the first quarter, a 3-pointer that touched nothing but twine.
The trouble was, by then, it was pretty clear that Hawaii Hilo was in a game it was going to lose, possibly by a bunch and not just because they were behind 13-3 after Mancera’s basket. Worse, the first 10 possessions for the Vulcans went like this:
• Turnover (traveling)
• Airball
• Missed field goal attempt
• Turnover (bad pass)
• Missed field goal
• Turnover (bad pass)
• 5-second inbounds violation
• Missed field goal
• Turnover (double dribble.).
This would be one of the definitions of an inauspicious start, but it was expected in this case.
Anchorage had three players in double figures, led by Autummn Williams who had 19 points, including 6of-6 from the foul line, Tara Thompson had 12 and Hannah Wanders added 10. All 11 Seawolves who got in the game scored.
Hilo was led by Sydney Mercer who had 11 points and 7 rebounds, both tops for the Vulcans who played without the services of junior Asia Smith, sidelined with an ankle issue.