The UH-Hilo women’s basketball team was well aware of Dominican forward Riley Frauf, who averages 22 points and 11 rebounds per game, but had a sound strategy to counter the 6-foot-1 graduate student and scoring machine.
The Vulcans relied on their depth, putting three different defenders on her, and defeated the Penguins 77-63 on Monday night before 63 fans on UHH’s pass list at Hilo Civic.
With the rise in COVID-19 numbers, everyone, except the same two male UHH floor sweepers who did’t wear a mask in UHH’s 75-72 win over Academy of Art on Thursday, wore a mask.
Mandi Kawaha scored 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting, Heaven Samayoa-Mathis added 13 points, and Bree Olson had 11 points to lead the Vulcans (7-2, 4-1 PacWest), who shot 40% from the field, including 3 of 14 from 3-point range, and won their fifth straight.
“It was a tough game, a really, really difficult game,” UHH coach David Kaneshiro said. “They out-hustled us in the first half, but we were better in the second half and fortunate to get to the free throw line and make enough of them.
“I don’t think Riley has any weaknesses. She can score in the low post and hit that mid-range shot. I thought our players made her work. Bree, only her second game back, did a nice job. She was active. All you can do is be active against her.”
Frauf scored 18 points on 7 of 15 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds, Errayanna Hatfield added 12 points, and Alessandra Salise had 11 points to lead the Penguins (8-8, 5-4), who converted 44% from the floor, including 3 of 14 from long distance, and trailed 36-32 at halftime.
Frauf, who’s fluid and long, is likely the most talented forward UHH has faced. She’s got a soft touch around the rim, can hit mid-range shots and moves well without the ball. She’s also a mobile defender and finished with 1.5 blocks.
However, she fouled out with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter. It took the Penguins more than four minutes to score without her. Alaiyah San Juan hit 1 of 2 free throws to trim UHH’s lead to 61-49 with 6:12 left.
Dominica’s interior defense suffered when Frauf fouled out. The Vulcans, especially Kawaha, attacked the rim at will. Kawaha went 4 of 4 on free throws.
The Vulcans battled Frauf with their depth, putting starter Kayla Revelo on her first, then brought Olson and Miller off the bench against Frauf, who played all 20 minutes in the first half.
Revelo, who played 10:29 minutes, scored two points and grabbed two rebounds. Olson, who played 17:43 minutes, had 11 points on 2 of 5 shooting and hauled in five rebounds. Miller, who played 12:30 minutes, scored three points and had four rebounds.
In the first half, Frauf scored 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting, but she worked for every point. Whenever she got the ball in the post, the UHH guards peeled off a Penguin and double-teamed Frauf.
The Penguins struggled to guard the quicker Vulcans defensively and often fouled. UHH made 24 of 34 free throws while Dominican converted 12 of 23 free throws.
UHH had 11 assists and nine turnovers while Dominican had 15 assists but 18 turnovers. Frauf, who played 31:34 minutes, finished with a game-high six turnovers.
The Vulcans received a major boost from the bench and outscored the Penguins, 32-17, led by Olson’s 11 points, Sara Shimizu’s eight points, and Noelle Sua-Godinet’s seven points.
Dominican had a strong start to its PacWest season, beating Academy of Art (70-66), Fresno Pacific (73-67), Chaminade (89-57), and Biola (69-68), before falling to Concordia (79-60), Azusa Pacific (72-65), and Point Loma (77-52).
The Penguins topped Chaminade (72-50) on Saturday in Honolulu before their trip to Hilo.
In the third quarter, the Vulcans drew fouls and made 9 of 16 free throws. Shimizu swished a pair for a 57-49 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, Mindy Kawaha buried a 3-pointer, Sua-Godinet scored, and Revelo converted a putback for a 34-28 lead with under two minutes.
Right before the buzzer, Frauf buried a shot from the elbow to cut UHH’s lead to 36-32 at halftime.
In just four minutes, Olson showed her versatility in the first quarter. She came in for starter Revelo and shut down Frauf, who scored three straight baskets for a 9-2 lead.
When Olson came in, she locked down on Frauf, who could’t wiggle free for open shots. On the offensive end, Olson scored three straight baskets to get UHH within 9-8 with 4:04 left.
UHH next takes a four-game road trip, starting Saturday, Jan. 22 at Azusa Pacific.
The Vulcans are now in second place in the PacWest standings behind Azusa Pacific (11-1, 7-0).
Kawaha honored
On Monday, Kawaha was named the PacWest Defender of the Week after UHH’s 65-58 win over Academy of Art last Thursday at Hilo Civic.
The Vulcans held the Urban Knights to 58 points, forced 18 turnovers and held them to 34% shooting from the field.
Kawaha, a 5-2 junior guard, snagged eight rebounds and pocketed four steals. She also scored a team-high 16 points.
