In a battle of similar game philosophies, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team fell short last night, losing to UC Davis, 73-52, in the second round of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic at Stan Sheriff Center.

Senior center Tanya Smith led the Rainbows (1-1) with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Megan Tinnin chipped in 13 points and four rebounds, and Saundra Cariaga added 10 points and four rebounds.

The Aggies (3-0) were led by Anna Harp (14 points) and Jessica Campbell (12 points, five rebounds). Haylee Donaghe and Ellen Porshneva also combined for 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

"The biggest thing was our lack of effort," said Hawai'i head coach Jim Bolla. "This was a winnable game, but (UC Davis) played their butts off and we didn't respond."

The matchup featured two teams committed to pushing the pace offensively and defensively, but UH struggled as its freshmen backcourt got a rude awakening to the reality of collegiate zone defenses. Point guard Keisha Kanekoa, straddled with early foul trouble, finished with six points on 2-of-6 shooting and zero assists. Leilani Galdones, who blitzed Washington with her outside shooting Friday, went 0 for 5 from the field and 0 for 4 from the line in 24 minutes.

UH lacked patience against the Aggies' paint-clogging zone, committing many of its 12 turnovers in the first half on forced entry passes to Smith and Dita Liepkalne. UH's offensive woes (40 percent from the field in the first half) kept the team from setting up its pressing defense, a situation the Aggies exploited by breaking on every opportunity.

"We needed to slow it down and let them come to us before making the pass," Tinnin said. "We knew what they were going to run, but we were still caught by surprise when we actually faced it."

The Rainbows also found themselves in early foul trouble. Kanekoa went to the bench with her second foul just 8:12 into the game and didn't return in the half. Iwona Zagrobelna, who fouled out in 18 minutes on Friday, paired with Smith to run an effective high-low game but picked up her third foul five minutes before the intermission.

Galdones had difficulty getting her shot off and was replaced by Tinnin, who proved to be a better match for UC Davis' big guards. The Rainbows also got solid play from reserve point guard Amy Kotani, whose full-court moving screen on an Aggie defender allowed Tinnin to score an easy layup to put UH ahead 31-30 — much to the ire of Aggies head coach Sandy Simpson.

UH ended the half leading 33-32.

The Aggies opened the second half with a 15-0 run, keyed by Campbell, who hit two 3-pointers and a layup on consecutive possessions.

UH battled back with a 10-0 run, capped by a driving baseline layup by Tinnin, but lost momentum when Zagrobelna and Smith picked up their fourth fouls on back-to-back UH possessions.

"When you've got four fouls, you've just got to play," Bolla said. "The problem is not getting that fourth foul. Most of our early fouls were because we were reaching in and not containing."

The game ended in a flurry of rushed shots and clock-stopping fouls for UH, which shot a dismal 18.8 percent in the second half.

"We just didn't have the same intensity we did against Washington," Smith said. "We didn't get pumped up.

"Our freshmen will be OK," she said. "This was a good lesson that in college each night is completely different and you have to be ready for it."

In the early game, Michelle Augustavo scored 20 points as Washington beat Northern Arizona, 83-70. UH plays Northern Arizona today at 5 p.m.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.