WACO, Texas >> A first-half barrage by Hawaii forward Amy Atwell kept the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team within striking distance through the first 20 minutes of today’s NCAA Tournament game against second-seeded Baylor.
The host Bears asserted their dominance with a 34-point third quarter led by All-American NaLyssa Smith, and Baylor advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with an 89-49 rout of the Rainbow Wahine at the Ferrell Center.
Baylor (28-6) will face 10th-seeded South Dakota, which upset Mississippi in today’s first game, on Sunday.
Atwell hit four 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the first half and the Wahine trailed 38-29 at halftime.
Smith, who had four points at the break, went 7-for-8 from the field in a 17-point third quarter and the Bears outscored the Wahine 34-8 in the period to turn the game into a blowout.
Atwell, the Big West Player of the Year, closed her six-year Rainbow Wahine career by leading UH with 29 points with six 3-pointers and 13 rebounds. Forward Kallin Spiller added 10 points and seven rebounds. But the Wahine shot 22% as a team in the program’s seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2016.
Baylor guard Jordan Lewis led the Bears with 23 points on 7-for-8 shooting and Smith finished with 21.
Atwell drained her first two 3-pointers of the game to give UH a 6-2 lead. She was called for a charge to pick up her second foul with 1:54 left in the first quarter and went to the bench.
UH forward Nnenna Orji scored inside while drawing a foul and her free throw cut Baylor’s lead to 14-12 with 50 seconds left in the first quarter.
Baylor went on an 8-0 run bridging the quarter break and led 22-12 when the Bears converted a steal into a Queen Egbo layup.
Atwell re-entered the game early in the quarter and halted the Baylor run with her third 3-pointer and was fouled on another attempt and drained all three free throws. Spiller connected from long range, the Wahine trailed 26-21 with 5:51 left in the half.
Baylor quickly responded with another eight-point surge including two baskets in the paint from Egbo.
Orji scored inside and Atwell hit another set of three free throws to give her 20 points for the half and cut Baylor’s lead to 39-29 going into halftime.
Smith was held to four points in the first half, but opened the third quarter with a putback and a 3-pointer to spark an 17-3 run. After Lewis scored on a drive, Smith’s putback off a missed free throw stretched Baylor’s lead to 53-32 and the Bears continued to pull away and led 72-37 going into the fourth quarter.
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