Outside of one spurt early in the second half last night against Western Carolina, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team looked like a squad coming off an 18-day layoff.

Monique Dawson scored 17 points, Brooke Johnson added 13 and Western Carolina went on a late 21-10 run to beat Hawai'i, 69-60, last night in the Island Imaging Paradise Classic before 284 last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Lady Catamounts' run gave them their largest lead at 63-53 with two minutes remaining.

The Rainbow Wahine got as close as six the rest of the way.

"We've got seniors and upperclassmen that have been around the wars," said Western Carolina coach Kellie Harper. "They know how to make big plays. They made big shots when we needed them."

Western Carolina's surge came after Hawai'i freshman guard Keisha Kanekoa sparked a 13-6 run, which gave the Rainbow Wahine their only lead of the second half at 43-42 with 12:15 remaining.

Kanekoa, a Honoka'a graduate, scored nine points and assisted on Tanya Smith's field goal, and Iwona Zagrobelna's putback put the Rainbow Wahine ahead.

"She's capable of doing that more and for longer durations during the game," said Hawai'i coach Jim Bolla of Kanekoa. "She just needs to realize she can do those kinds of things. She had unbelievable plays there and she got some great passes to people and we weren't ready for them."

Western Carolina (6-2) went scoreless for 6:30 before Chevon Keith's field goal made it 44-43 Lady Catamounts with 11:20 left.

"We've played in close basketball games and the thing I like about our team is we don't panic when our opponent makes a run and gets ahead," Harper said.

Most of the game was a struggle for Hawai'i, which was playing for the first time since a 72-54 loss to Minnesota on Nov. 25.

"For being off 18 days I'm OK with how we played, but not OK with the outcome," Bolla said.

The Lady Catamounts scored 17 points off of 19 Hawai'i turnovers. They also pounced on numerous loose balls and contested most of Hawai'i's passes.

"We deflected several passes which took Hawai'i out of its flow," Harper said. "Anytime you're getting tips and deflections you know you're playing hard on the defensive end."

The Rainbow Wahine held a 43-42 rebounding advantage, but the smaller Lady Catamounts held a 25-19 edge in the second half.

Smith scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. She had a double-double — her fifth of the season — in the first half with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kanekoa finished with 13 points for Hawai'i (3-4), which was 24 of 68 from the field.

"Today we were just on and off," Smith said. "We just broke down too many times on execution."

Western Carolina shot 7 of 21 from 3-point range, while Hawai'i was 2 of 16.

"Our whole philosophy coming in was to play (inside) the 3-point arc and make them prove they could hit them from out there and they proved they could tonight," Bolla said.

The Lady Catamounts also were 18 of 26 from the free-throw line, while the Rainbow Wahine were 10 of 14.

"They got the ball and got more fouls than we did, and that's where our downfall was," Smith said.

Western Carolina will face Oregon State at 11 a.m. today. The Rainbow Wahine and Tennessee Tech will follow at 1 p.m.

OREGON STATE 78, TENNESSEE TECH 55

Ashley Allen scored 25 points and Brittney Davis added 18 as the Beavers beat the Golden Eagles in the tournament opener.

Oregon State (5-3) was 30 of 52 from the field, including 7 of 12 from 3-point range.

Davis and Talisa Rhea, who finished with 12 points, each went 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

The Beavers led by as many as 29 midway through the second half.

Kristina Tyler and Jasmine White each scored 11 points for Tennessee Tech (1-7).

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Make a difference. Donate to The Advertiser Christmas Fund.