Wrong kind of rare record for Wahine
Going into Friday, there were only two 0-4 starts to a season in Hawaii women’s basketball history.
The first was 1976-77 — the third season of official play — under Patsy Dung. UH finished 4-4 that year, winning its last four games (three vs. Willamette).
The second was 2008-09, when UH dropped its first six in Jim Bolla’s final season as coach. The Rainbow Wahine were 3-16 at one point in that season marred by the infamous kicking incident in practice and went 8-23 overall.
The 2018-19 Wahine became the third team to open a season losing its first four games with Friday’s 72-65 home loss to Portland in the Bank of Hawaii Classic.
Rainbow Wahine basketball team falls to Portland 72-65. Leah Salanoa leads UH with 19 points, 11 rebounds. Wahine (0-4) face Seattle on Sunday. @hawaiiwworld pic.twitter.com/JuiNkBHXON
— Jason Kaneshiro (@jasonkaneshiro) November 17, 2018
UH still was without Lahni Salanoa, one of its top scorers from last season, who is recovering from a preseason injury. But the Wahine got Amy Atwell and Lauren Rewers back in action, to no avail.
The team’s next, and maybe best chance in a while, to get a win comes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday against Seattle University. The Redhawks (0-3) were routed by 30 by Arizona in the first game of the tournament Friday.
What a player, Leah Salanoa, played 39 minutes, 19 pts and 11 rebounds. Scored inside and outside, fought for rebounds.
The cameraman did not have to embarrass Hawaii’s center and show a replay of her blowing that wide-open lay-up.