Stephens Media Hawaii
Lia Galdeira didn’t disappoint in her Hawaii homecoming. But the Rainbow Wahine did just enough to hold her off.
Kamilah Jackson and Briana Harris each scored 21 points Friday night and the University of Hawaii withstood a game-high 29 from Galdeira to turn back Washington State 77-66 at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu.
Galdeira, a sophomore who won three Hawaii High School Athletic Association championships at Konawaena along with the Cougars’ Dawnyelle Awa, was 11 of 25 from the floor with nine rebounds. Awa finished with five points.
Galdeira scored 10 point to power a 13-1 run spanning the first and second halves that helped Washington State (1-2) take a 33-32 lead with 17:18 left in the game.
Jackson put Hawaii (2-1) ahead to stay with a layup midway through the half, finishing with a game-high 15 rebounds. In her home debut, Harris sparked the Rainbow Wahine, scoring 13 of her points in the second half.
Galdeira was just 1 of 7 from 3-point range as Washington State finished 2 of 18 from beyond the arc.
Jackson needs 18 more rebounds to become the second player in UH history to score over 1,000 points with 1,000 rebounds. Destiny King added 13 points and Ashleigh Karaitiana had 10.
Washington State plays West Virginia at noon Saturday, then UH faces Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m. On Friday, West Virginia routed Ole Miss 85-56.