A star emerges in Hawaii.
Hawaii’s Tia Kanoa was named the Big West Player of the Week for games played last week. It was Kanoa’s first time bringing home the weekly honors.
In the Rainbow Wahine’s lone game last week, a 65-60 win over UC Davis, Kanoa had 15 points on 66.7 percent shooting from the field, 100 percent (2-2) from the three-point line, 5-6 from the free-throw line, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
For the season, Kanoa is averaging 7.8 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting from the field, 43.3 percent from the three-point line, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. The senior guard has been the Rainbow Wahine’s top playmaker as her 4.8 assists are a team-high.
Kanoa’s biggest contributions in the upset win over the Aggies was her clutch performance in the fourth quarter. With Hawaii trailing the Aggies entering the final period, Kanoa proceeded to score seven points, including knocking down two clutch free-throws in the game’s final minute to seal the win.
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The win was the Rainbow Wahine’s first conference win of the season, and it snapped a three-game losing streak. It also snapped a six-game winning streak for UC Davis.
The senior guard is in her final season with the Rainbow Wahine after transferring from Arizona State after the 2015-16 season. She didn’t play much with the Sun Devils. Her 2014-15 freshman year was cut short after two games due to a season ending injury. The following season, she appeared in only seven games while dishing out two assists.
After redshirting the 2016-17 season, she had a strong junior year, starting in 29 of Hawaii’s 30 games. That season, she put up 6.4 points per game, 5.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds. Her 5.9 assists led the Big West.
The Rainbow Wahine have gotten off to slow start at 5-10 overall. They continue conference play on Thursday at home against CSUN.