Tanya Smith had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and sparked a game-sealing surge as the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team downed Northern Arizona, 67-51, in the final night of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic at Stan Sheriff Center.

In yesterday's earlier game, UC Davis (4-0) defeated Washington (1-4), 69-58, to take first place in the round-robin tournament.

The Rainbows (2-1) dominated Northern Arizona (2-3) on the boards, 48-32, offsetting the Lumberjacks' advantage at the free-throw line (30 attempts to 18).

"That was the one thing we talked about before the game," UH head coach Jim Bolla said. "We knew we'd have an advantage because of our size. Our goal every game is to get 50 (rebounds)."

They came close, thanks to a team effort on the boards that saw four Rainbows finish with seven rebounds or more.

Freshman point guard Keisha Kanekoa rebounded from a rough game against UC Davis on Saturday with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Reserve forward Megan Tinnin played 23 minutes, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Dita Liepkalne added nine points and seven rebounds despite leaving the game with a bruised knee.

Janelle Matthews led the Lumberjacks with 15 points. Laura Dinkins added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Rebounding from their poor showing against UC Davis a night before, the Rainbows showed greater patience and decision making against the Lumberjacks.

"We took our time and we didn't rush," Tinnin said. "We didn't let their aggressiveness get the best of us."

The teams battled evenly through the early going. Then, with UH trailing 11-9, reserve center Iwona Zagrobelna hit a flat-footed turnaround and a driving layup, and Leilani Galdones converted a layup in transition to give the Rainbows a lead they would hold for the rest of the game.

Hawai'i led 30-21 at the break, then extended that lead to 14 points when Zagrobelna hit Smith with a pinpoint pass from the high post for an easy layup.

Northern Arizona gradually chipped away as the Rainbows repeatedly went one-and-out on the offensive end then fouled the attacking Lumberjacks on the other side.

Sade Cunningham's two free throws cut the Lumberjacks' deficit to 49-45 with 5:41 left.

"My concern was that we were missing layups and then fouling them," Bolla said. "Those are four-point swings."

Bolla called for "20-10s," high-low plays that create opportunities for cutters to score or get fouled.

That allowed Smith to orchestrate the half-court offense, and she did so hitting Kanekoa for an easy layup and scoring two baskets of her own. Smith's assist to a cutting Liepkalne put UH ahead 61-49 with just over a minute to play. UH closed the game at the free-throw line as the Lumberjacks scrambled against the clock.

"If we execute and box out, we play well," Smith said. "(Saturday) we panicked down the stretch. Tonight, we stayed under control and got the ball to the right people. We looked for the best options."

The Rainbows face another grueling three-day test at this week's Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic at Stan Sheriff Center. They'll play Lipscomb on Friday and either Hartford or Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday.

NOTES

Senior Amy Kotani started in place of freshman Leilani Galdones, who has been hampered with a finger problem. Kotani missed all three of her shots from the field but scored two points from the line to go with four rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. ... Galdones scored four points on 2-of-4 shooting off the bench. ... Catherine Cho recorded a steal in four minutes of play ... Both Cho and Iwona Zagrobelna will be fitted for customized face masks this week. Zagrobelna injured her nose in Friday's game against Washington and has had difficulty seeing with the standard mask she wore the last two games.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.