An ailing Jim Bolla returned to the sidelines last night, but it was his University of Hawai'i women's basketball team that left last night's 58-51 loss to New Mexico State feeling a little blue.

Anikia Jawara had a game-high 17 points with 10 rebounds, and Cecilia Russell-Nava drained a clutch 3-pointer late as the Aggies beat the Rainbow Wahine in the Western Athletic Conference opener for both.

"It's frustrating," Hawai'i senior co-captain Pam Tambini said. "We're a good team. We just can't get it together."

A crowd of 304 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Hawai'i (6-7, 0-1 WAC) rally from a 13-point first-half deficit and take a 49-45 lead in the final minutes only to see Aggies (6-7, 1-0 WAC) sting them with a 9-0 run.

"It's not a lack of being a team because we've come together as a team," Tambini said. "But it's like our coach said, it was a matter of stopping people at the end of the game. And we couldn't stop them."

Hawai'i — a team pegged as a WAC contender and blessed with two preseason All-WAC first-team picks in Janevia Taylor and co-captain Brittany Grice — has struggled with injury and sickness since the new year.

"I'm a little disappointed," said Bolla, who missed practice all week with the flu. "I'm fine. I'll be OK."

Grice, who is recovering from a herniated disc in her back, played 33 minutes off the bench and contributed six points and five rebounds, but had eight turnovers. Tambini played despite a sprained left ankle and tallied a team-high 16 points with nine rebounds.

Hawai'i's Tanya Smith added nine points and 12 rebounds. New Mexico State junior forward Sherell Neal tallied 15 points and eight rebounds.

Hawai'i was picked third by the media and fourth by the coaches in a pair of preseason conference polls conducted in October. The Aggies were picked to finish seventh in both polls

"Hawai'i's big and it's got good players," New Mexico State coach Darin Spence said. "I think their injury factor maybe caught up to them, and maybe they got a little tired. But before it's all said and done, they're going to be really good."

Hawai'i committed 19 turnovers and the Aggies recycled those into 20 points. Neal had seven of New Mexico State's 10 steals.

"I'm really proud of our team," Spence said. "We played not to lose. We played to win, especially in the second half."

Tambini scored five points including a 3-pointer from the top of the key that capped a 7-2 run to start the second half as Hawai'i rallied to 32-31. But the Aggies responded by scoring six straight, including four by Jawara, to stretch their lead to 38-31.

Hawai'i tied the game at 44 on Smith's putback, and after a free throw by the Jawara, the Rainbow Wahine grabbed a 46-45 lead on Taylor's baseline drive and layup with 9:08 remaining.

Hawai'i increased its lead to 49-45 on a pair of free throws by Grice, but the Aggies rallied with a crucial 9-0 run to take a 54-49 lead with 1:36 left. Russell-Nava's 3-pointer from the left wing broke a 49-all tie and Jawara capped the surge with a bank shot in the lane with 1:36 left.

Smith's layup pulled Hawai'i to 54-51 with 1:31 left, but the 'Bows came away empty on their final four possessions.

With Hawai'i forced to foul, the Aggies iced the game, hitting all four of their foul shots.

"We continued to not play smart in crucial times," said Bolla of Hawai'i's lapses on defense and turnovers on offense. "We just did a poor job of executing."

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com.