HILO, Hawai`i—We might be on to something here.

For the second night in a row, the Hawai`i Hilo women's basketball team played tough defense, made key baskets when it counted and hit free throws down the stretch to notch a 71-62 non-conference win over Saint Martin's on Tuesday night at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

The victory allows the Vulcans to improve to 4-3 on the season, one night after they picked up their first conference win of the year over Holy Names (72-58). Saint Martin's wrapped up their three-game trip to the Hawaiian islands with a 1-2 record and they are now 4-7 overall.

Alyssa Movchan had a career-high 23 points to lead the Vulcans. She was five-of-eight from three-point range. Allie Navarette added 17 points and Mandi Kawaha had 13.

It was the Saints who were clicking on all cylinders after the opening tip. They would hit their first four shots in the first two minutes, and they would have a 10-0 lead just a little over three minutes into the game. Makenna Schultz had three assists in the first two minutes.

Then, coming out of a timeout, the Vulcans flipped the switch. Thanks to Movchan, they would outscore the Saints 13-3 the rest of the period to tie the game at 13-13. Movchan, a 5-2 guard, had three of her treys in the first ten minutes.

The Vulcans would grab their first lead early in the second quarter on another Movchan basket, a part of a 20-3 run that would ultimately give UHH a 20-13  margin with 6:30 to go in the half. The Saints would battle back with a 11-2 run of their own, and the intermission score would be 26-24 in favor of the home team.  

In the third period, the Vulcans went on a 7-0 run and took a 39-29 lead on a Kawaha basket, and they would carry a 50-46 lead into the final quarter. Malia Lee's bucket at the buzzer capped a high scoring period where the Vulcans outscored the Saints, 24-20.

In the fourth, SMU's Saniah Simpson, who had been held to just two points in the first half but averages just over 16, caught fire. She dropped in one jump shot, and then converted a conventional three-point play to tie the game at 50-50.

The teams would trade leads from there, tied at 55 and 57 heading into the final four minutes. A pair of Navarette free throws gave UHH a lead at 59-58 with 2:23 remaining, but Simpson answered to give the lead back to the Saints with 1:35 left (60-59).

On UHH's next possession, freshman Maddie Beck drove the line and put up a desperation shot just outside the block that banked home and she was fouled. She dropped in the free throw to make it 62-60 with 1:24 left. SMU's Claire Dingus would tie it moments later at the free throw line, but those would be final points of the night for St. Martin's.

Movchan hit a runner in the paint, the Vulcans got a stop and Navarette then converted a three-point play with 40 seconds left. Kawaha would swish home four-of-four free throws in the final moments to seal the win.
The Saints, who had four players six feet tall or bigger, had a 42-28 rebound advantage that the Vulcans had to work around.

"They had a huge size advantage, and we knew that we had to pressure the ball," said UHH head coach David Kaneshiro after the game, whose team forced SMU into 24 turnovers. "We had a rough start, but we are still learning how we need to play to be successful. We have been working really hard, I am proud of them for that. It's nice to see them rewarded with a pair of wins."

Simpson finished with 17 points for the Saints, 15 of those in the second half. Dingus, a 5-11 freshman, had 18 points and seven rebounds. Schultz, who came into the game averaging 14 points a contest, was held to three digits.

Movchan's career high of 23 points easily eclipsed her previous best of 16. The senior also had three rebounds and three assists.

There were a total of 50 fouls called in the game. Beck fouled out for the Vulcans, and three of her teammates had four fouls each. The Saints had four players with four fouls when the game ended.

UH Hilo will play their third game in three nights on Wednesday, hosting No. 17 nationally ranked Alaska Anchorage. Start time is 5:30 p.m.