HONOLULU – The ULM women's basketball team (3-2) dropped their second consecutive game to Hawaii (2-1) on Friday afternoon, falling 64-69. The Warhawks made an attempt to come back from a 16-point deficit, but ultimately fell to the Rainbow Wahine in the final minutes.
 
The Warhawks shot 35% from the field compared to Hawaii's 50%, going 6-23 from beyond the arc. Most notably, ULM also shot 26 free throws, going 85% from the stripe. The Warhawks led in points off turnovers, 20-9 and rebounds, 36-32.
 
Jakayla Johnson led the team with 25 points, also racking up a rebound, an assist and a steal on the day. Johnson also went 9-10 from the free throw line. Just behind Johnson was Meloney Thames, who posted 16 points. Laila Walker led the team with 11 rebounds as the team battled back from the double-digit deficit. Nya Valentine led with five assists, also collecting two steals.
 
The first quarter opened with both teams unable to get a shot up, a drought lasting over two minutes to open the game. Katlyn Manuel opened the scoring for the Warhawks, scoring two to get ULM back on track. After Thames drew a foul to tie the score up, the Rainbow Wahine went on a 7-0 run to create a lead. Cianté Downs was able to get a shot up to cut the lead down to five, 11-16 to end the quarter.
 
Hawaii continued their momentum from the first quarter, entering the second quarter extending the lead. A scoring drought for the Bows, however, gave the Warhawks the chance to cut down the lead. To close out the half, Hawaii found their footing and got their lead back up to 10, closing the half with a score of 25-35.
 
The Warhawks won the third quarter by eight points, orchestrating the beginning of a comeback from a 16-point deficit. Johnson scored 15 points in the quarter, going 8-8 from the free throw line. Fouls riddled Hawaii, giving ULM the opportunity to strike and bring the lead down to two at the end of the third, 50-52.
 
The fourth quarter remained a battle for the full 10 minutes, bringing it down to the finals seconds. Johnson tallied 10 more points, with Walker racking up three rebounds to assist with the comeback. ULM continued to claw for the lead, but foul trouble got the Rainbow Wahine in position to maintain the lead. 
 
The Warhawks will remain in Honolulu to wrap up tournament play against Saint Mary's on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CST.