HONOLULU - A battle for sole possession of second place was online Saturday night as the Gauchos and Rainbow Wahine squared off. A couple of second half runs spurred Hawai'i to a slim 68-64 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
In front of a packed arena the Gauchos took got out to an early 8-2 lead. Santa Barbara did not keep the lead for too long as Hawai'i went on an 11-0 run to take a 13-8 lead. The Gauchos didn't falter as they ended the quarter with a run of their own. At the end of the quarter the Gauchos and Rainbow Wahine were tied at 13 a side. Leading the charge to stay neck-and-neck was Alexis Whitfield who scored eight of the Gauchos 13 points.

The second quarter started as a back-and-forth affair before the Gauchos made an 8-0 run to go up 26-18. The Gauchos got three baskets from three different players including two three-pointers. One from Jessica Grant and another from Alexis Whitfield. Mary McMorris also joined the run with a driving layup during the eight point spurt. Hawai'i cut the lead to two at the three minute mark in the quarter, but again the Gauchos responded. Zoe Borter and Jessica Grant hit back-to-back threes to bring the lead back up to eight. The Wahine got a bucket of their own to cut the lead to five before the break.

The third quarter started in favor of the Wahine as they went on their second 11-0 run of the game. Two layups by Anya Choice cut the lead to two. The teams traded misses for a little stretch but another layup by Choice gave the Gauchos the lead. Hawai'i came back to tied the game and ultimately take a one-point lead to the fourth quarter.

In the penultimate quarter Hawai'i built an eleven point cushion forcing the Gauchos to take a timeout. Back-to-back three pointers cut the lead to a two possession game and then a pull-up jump shot by Zoe Borter cut it to three with three minutes remaining. Down the stretch the Gauchos could not get the basket they needed to tie or take the lead. A three by Grant cut the lead to two with under 30 seconds in the game. Two free throws after a Gaucho foul put the Wahine up four. The Gauchos got two looks from three-point range but could not find the bottom of the bucket.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Alexis Whitfield recorded her fifth 20+ point 10+ rebound game of the season after scoring 21 and grabbing 17 rebounds.
• The Gauchos only shot seven free throw the least amount since shooting six all the way back in November.
• The Gauchos have scored 60 or more points in three consecutive games.
• Anya Choice, Jessica Grant and Alexis Whitfield all scored 15 or more points in the contest.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will return to California and prepare to host UC Irvine on Thursday, Feb. 22. The Gauchos and the Anteaters will tipoff at 7 p.m. inside The Thunderdome.