On Jan. 14, BYU–Hawaii’s women’s basketball team pulled ahead in the last quarter against Fresno Pacific, winning 82-71.
Behind for the first three quarters, the girls collaborated and turned the game around within the last five minutes of the game. “This was a good team effort and they responded really well. It was good that we kept our focus and stayed with it,” said Coach Craig Stanger.
Celeste Claw led the team with 19 points, with Jiashan Cui playing 17 points in the second half and Valerie Nawahine adding 16 points. Tyvette White played 12 points while Mata Tongahad helped with 11 rebounds.
“Our point guard [Claw] had a very good game,” said Stanger. “As well as Jiashan Cui, Valerie Nawahine; all of them shot the ball very well from the perimeter.”
Fresno started the game in the lead, with a 3-pointer from Claw putting the Seasiders one behind, 14-13, at the three-minute mark.
Fresno continued with a strong defense to the end of the quarter where they ended with 23-15.
Fresno stayed in the lead in the second quarter, with Seasiders closing the gap 32-27 with 5:28 remaining in the quarter. Devyn Kauhi scored a 3-pointer at the end, ending the second quarter 41-37.
They dropped down to 10 points behind with four minutes on the clock, but closed into the single digits as Cui made a 3-pointer with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Fresno finished the third quarter in the lead 58-53. Lagging behind for the first 36 minutes of the game, Nawahine gave the first lead with a 3-pointer, giving the team 67-65 against Fresno. The Seasiders later had a 15-point run started by Cui, with five minutes left in the game. A free throw from Claw gave the Seasider’s a 74-65 advantage. Claw, Nawahine, and White contributed with free throws and finished the game with the win at 82-71.
Reflecting on the opposing team, White commented, “They were more relaxed because they had the lead. And as soon as we got the lead in the fourth they were all over the place.”
With the turnover in the fourth quarter, the players said communication and intensity helped them.
“Intensity on the floor and the ones on the bench,” said Nawahine. “We just fed off each other.”
This game was the first in five home games, and is only a warm-up for those games. “I think our players understand that if we will play with the level of intensity and defensive focus that we had in the fourth quarter, we feel like we can compete with just anybody,” said Stanger.
“This was a good starter game to get us refocused and get us competitive the rest of the way,” said Stanger.
Nawahine replied in preparation for the coming games, “A win’s a win, in any circumstance, whether it’s ugly or pretty, it gives you momentum for the next game.”