Mitchell gets first career win as Hawai’i hangs on against Saint Mary’s in triple overtime

HONOLULU – There’s an old saying that says you always remember your first.

That adage will most certainly hold true for Hawai’i’s Khalilah Mitchell, who picked up her first win as the head coach of the Rainbow Wahine basketball program on Friday.

After dropping a pair of tough road games to start the first-year head coach’s tenure, Hawai’i (1-2) got over the hump to begin the Bank of Hawaii Classic as they outlasted Saint Mary’s in a triple overtime thriller, 93-89.

“What an incredible game,” Mitchell said to open her first postgame press conference. “We have been talking about fatigue for a very long time and the way they were able to push past fatigue, stay engaged in every overtime and execute … these girls are phenomenal … It is so cool to watch and be a part of. That’s absolutely a core memory.”

The dynamic duo of Ritorya Tamilo and Bailey Flavell put on a show for the third straight game, each posting double-doubles and providing big buckets down the stretch in the dramatic victory.

Tamilo, who dealt with leg cramps for the majority of fourth quarter and parts of all three overtimes, scored a team-high 24 points while grabbing 12 rebounds (6 OREB) and blocking three shots in 37 minutes of action. The 6-foot-5 junior also helped extend the game with a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the first overtime period that tied the game at 73.

Flavell couldn’t quite find her touch from range, connecting on just one of 11 shots from beyond the arc as she played a career-high 53 minutes, but provided some of the biggest moments of the afternoon as she led the Rainbow Wahine offense in the second and third overtime periods.

“We just talked about the difference from when we played [San Francisco],” Flavell said about securing the overtime victory after falling in an extra period the last time out. “Everyone was just locked in, and everyone was bought in still. We all had great energy going into each overtime, so I think that just really helped us get over the line.”

Hawai’i started slowly, struggling against the zone defense of the Gaels as they fell down by nine through 10 minutes of play. The Rainbow Wahine rallied back in the second quarter, getting a lift from the bench as Taryn Bond, Zyriah Price and Liz Udeze combined to help produce 14 of the team’s 24 points in the frame and send the hosts into halftime tied with Saint Mary’s at 37.

“I thought the zone was really, really effective versus us because it made us hesitate,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t necessarily know where to position ourselves in order to get the best look, and that was successful.”

The Rainbow Wahine offense retreated to the same inefficiency it showed in the first quarter after halftime, falling back down by seven after committing five more turnovers in the third quarter against the Saint Mary’s zone.

Hawai’i remained within striking distance entering the fourth quarter despite the offensive woes and saw their own defense help spark a comeback in the late minutes of regulation. Down by nine with 3:35 left to play, the Rainbow Wahine forced a trio of turnovers to rip off a 7-0 run and pull within a pair of the Gaels with 1:44 left to play.

Following a timeout, Saint Mary’s grabbed a little bit of breathing room as Niveya Henley cashed in a triple to make it a five-point game with 82 ticks left on the clock.

Tamilo made it a one-possession game again with 46 seconds remaining in regulation and a travel in the backcourt by the Gaels gave the ball back to Hawai’i moments later. Kyra Webb, who missed the first two games of the season for the Rainbow Wahine, played hero to end out the fourth quarter as she drained her only 3-pointer of the day to tie the game at 66 and forced a miss at the buzzer from Lucy Aherne on the other end to send the game to overtime.

Down three with under a minute left in the first overtime period, Zyriah Price put back a miss from Jovi Lefotu to make it a one-point game before NaTallia Urlacher finished a putback layup of her own on the other end with 14 seconds remaining.

Again, Hawai’i rallied as Tamilo split a pair of free throws and Aherne missed two free throws herself to keep it a two-point game with a second remaining. After a timeout advanced the ball to the frontcourt, the Rainbow Wahine tossed up a prayer to Tamilo to tie it as the buzzer sounded and forced a follow-up extra frame.

Bailey Flavell played the hero role in the second overtime, tying the game at 80 with a layup to force a third overtime period.

Flavell started off the final frame of the afternoon with two straight buckets to put Hawai’i ahead for good. Rebecca Moors, who chipped in her first career double-double in the win with a career-high 10 points and 12 rebounds, knocked down a couple of free throws and a tough layup on the baseline to give some breathing room to the Rainbow Wahine.

Price came up with a huge steal afterwards and Tamilo hit a deep two-pointer to help secure the victory down the stretch, sending Saint Mary’s out of a marathon matchup with a loss.

Zyriah Price, who transferred into the program in the offseason after spending the previous two years at Siena, had her best game in her young Rainbow Wahine career with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals in 23 minutes off the bench for the hosts.

Liz Udeze added six points and five assists off the pine for Hawai’i while starting point guard Jovi Lefotu chipped in four points, five assists and didn’t turn the ball over at all in 36 minutes of action.

“[Zyriah] coming in and getting those rebounds is unparalleled, but that’s what she does,” Mitchell said when talking about the prominence of production from role players in the win. “Same thing with Liz. Liz probably has the most one-on-one break you down in her game and she’s able to legit slice up the court like nobody else, you know? … It’s interesting when you look at just having 12 [players], but it’s like man, all 12 was necessary.”

Saint Mary’s was led by NaTallia Urlacher’s 26 points, though the starting guard fouled out in the third overtime and left the Gaels without a prime offensive option down the stretch. Niveya Henley added 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting (5-for-7 on 3-pointers) while collecting six rebounds in 50 minutes of work.

Both teams will be back in action on Sunday, November 15 as the Bank of Hawaii Classic rolls on. Saint Mary’s will take on Alabama A&M at noon on Sunday and Hawai’i will challenge Loyola Marymount afterwards at 2:30 p.m. to wrap up the event. LMU ended up as a 73-37 winner over Alabama A&M on Friday in the other Bank of Hawaii Classic matchup.