HILO — Giving an opponent numerous putback opportunities is only asking for big-time trouble, one reason the University of Hawaii at Hilo women’s basketball team fell to BYU-Hawaii.
The Seasiders scored off easy points with transition layups and second-or-third shot chances to knock off the Vulcans 65-59 in overtime in a Pacific West Conference game Saturday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The itinerant Vuls (2-6, 1-3 PacWest) next host Dixie State on Jan. 3 at Hilo Civic then Notre Dame de Namur on Jan. 5 at UH-Hilo’s campus gym.
UH-Hilo did a nice Christmas spirit thing for health-care professionals, giving them free admission. But the women’s game started at 4 p.m. and finished at 5:49 p.m., which left the 92 fans a long time to wait until the men’s 7:30 p.m. game start.
The Vuls have lost four in a row, and the latest was an exercise in frustration because they didn’t make their golden opportunities count, especially after calling timeout in the second half with a chance to win the game.
After BYUH tied it 58-58 with 1:23 left, UH-Hilo called timeout. Then its offense stalled, and the Vuls couldn’t get off a shot in time, with McKenzie Mangino throwing up a clunker off the backboard after the shot clock sounded.
Luckily for the home team, the Seasiders also missed their last-chance shot. But at least they got a good look.
In overtime, Whitney Fieldsted beat everyone down the court in transition and plopped in a layup. She’s a 5-foot-11 forward, and not exactly the fastest Seasider.
Mangino followed with 1 of 2 free throws, which was the last of UH-Hilo’s’s point production. It was 60-59, BYUH ahead, and time for Celeste Claw to entertain the home fans in a productive five-minute overtime for the visitors.
She hit a floater at the free-throw line. Then made another floater after BYUH’s post players missed, rebounded the ball, missed again, and kicked the ball to Claw, who later made 1 of 2 free throws to ice the game.
Claw scored a game-high 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 3 treys, for BYUH (4-3, 2-1), which outrebounded the similar-sized Vuls, 65-59.
Bry Tatupu-Leopoldo added 16 points,and frequently outmuscled defenders in the paint for easy points. She also swished 3 of 8 treys for the Seasiders, who drained an impressive 9 of 18 from long distance.
They probably would have had a much higher shooting clip than 33 percent from the field if they didn’t struggle so mightily with one-step dribble shots, after defenders charged and over-ran them.
UH-Hilo’s’s best shooter, Kirstie Williams, chewed up BYUH’s perimeter defense with 17 points on 6 of 12 shooting, including 4 of 10 from beyond the arc. The rest of the Vuls tossed up 3-ball bricks and went 1 of 12.
The Vuls didn’t help themselves with Shaq-like attempts at the stripe. They made just 12 of 21 free throws; the Seasiders made 8 of 13 from the line.
The Vuls shot 35 percent from the field. Take out Williams’ stats and that shooting percentage drops to 31 percent. Williams bombed away twice in OT and missed both.
She just couldn’t get any scoring help. CC Rode and Mangino each went 3 of 11 on field goals, the second most shots, and scored six and nine points, respectively.