Cal Poly Women’s Basketball had two sophomores score double figures against the Hawaii Rainbow, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 62-50 in Mott Athletics Center on Saturday.
The Rainbow Wahine (7-6, 1-2 Big West) spoiled the Mustangs’ (6-8, 1-3 Big West) first home game of the new year.
Redshirt sophomore forward Sierra Lichtie had a team-high 11 points and also added six rebounds off the bench. Sophomore forward Mary Carter added 10 points of her own in the loss.
Mustangs struggle from the field
The Mustangs have struggled from the field all season, which continued in the loss.
Cal Poly shot 31% from the field and 20% from three, being outshot by Hawaii from the field by almost 10%.
The Mustangs’ two leading scorers, Carter and senior guard Annika Shah, highlighted the shooting inefficiencies. Both shot 1-for-7 from a three-point range, Carter hitting four of 14 shots, and Shah converted just one of 11 field goal attempts.
In the first half, graduate guard Ashley Hiraki kept the Mustangs in the game when she hit back-to-back threes.
Hiraki had one more three in the first half, and it helped the Mustangs grab their largest lead of the night in the second quarter.
Hiraki would finish the game with nine points, all coming from three-pointers.
Rainbow Wahine take advantage of poor Mustang offense
The Rainbow Wahine took advantage of poor Cal Poly offense, especially in the second and third quarters, as the Mustangs didn’t make a single three-pointer during that frame.
Hawaii found a spark at the start of the second quarter, going on a 15-4 run in the first seven minutes of the second and outscored the Mustangs in that quarter by 14.
Early in the third quarter, the Mustangs scored six straight points and cut the lead to eight, but that was the closest the deficit would be for Cal Poly for the remainder of the game.
Senior forward Sydney Bourland added nine points in the loss as the Mustangs fell to 6-8 on the season and 1-3 in Big West play.
Cal Poly’s next game is on Jan. 9 against the UC San Diego Tritons, with tipoff at 6 p.m. at Mott Athletics Center.
