The University of Hawai'i women's basketball turned over the ball, and the game, in rapid fashion yesterday, falling to Minnesota, 72-54, in the third-place game of the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic at Stan Sheriff Center.

Megan Tinnin led the 'Bows with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. She was the only Hawai'i player to score in double figures and one of only two to shoot better than 50 percent. Dita Liepkalne finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 2 of 2 at the line.

Senior center Tanya Smith struggled for the second night in a row, finishing with six points on 2-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds and six turnovers.

Emily Fox led Minnesota with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists. Leslie Knight added 16 points and three rebounds.

Hawai'i turned over the ball 35 times — just two shy of the school record — leading to 35 points off of turnovers for the Golden Gophers. Freshman guard Keisha Kanekoa was harassed, primarily by the man-to-man pressure of Minnesota's Brittan McCoy, into nine turnovers in just 18 minutes of play.

When they were able to keep possession of the ball, the 'Bows actually outshot the Golden Gophers, 39.2 percent to 38.8 percent. But the sheer number of turnovers proved insurmountable.

"That's 35 possessions," UH coach Jim Bolla said. "You can't afford not to have 35 possessions."

Bolla reasoned that at 40-percent shooting percentage, each possession is worth 1.6 points.

"Statistically, you're never going to win that battle," Bolla said. "Even though they had 20 (turnovers), those 20 came every now and then. Our 35 came three in a row. That's three opportunities we don't even get to shoot the ball and try to get a foul or get a rebound. That's just too many non-possessions, and you're not going to win that battle."

Bolla started Smith and backup post player Iwona Zagrobelna together to try and counter Minnesota's superior size, but turnovers and missed shots limited their effectiveness.

With Minnesota leading 10-9, Golden Gopher center Zoe Harper converted three free throws and a layup and Katie Ohm nailed back-to-back 3-pointers from opposite corners as the Gophers broke away with a 13-0 run.

Hawai'i responded in a big way behind Kanekoa and reserves Leilani Galdones and Tinnin.

Kanekoa spurred the run with a give-and-go layup off an assist by Liepkalne, then drove the baseline for a no-look dump to Smith for another layup.

Later, Galdones penetrated the lane and fed Tinnin for a 3-pointer. Tinnin nailed another 3 from the top of the key and scored a layup to tie the score 23-23.

Galdones later hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Hawai'i its only lead of the game, 26-25.

But the 'Bows had no answer as Fox took command over the final five minutes of the half.

The 5-foot-9 junior point guard sparked a 15-2 run with a jump shot and four passes that led to layups or foul shots for Minnesota, which took a 40-28 lead at intermission.

"We had people putting their heads down," Bolla said. "You're going to make mistakes, but when you put your head down, that leads to another mistake and that leads to another mistake. So forget about the mistake, go back and get a rebound."

The Golden Gophers pressed their advantage early in the second half with a game-seizing 15-2 run that ended with a 3-pointer and a transition layup by Fox and a free throw by Ohm that made it 55-30.

The 'Bows would not get closer than 18 points the rest of the way.

"We just don't have the capability to come down and get a bucket," Bolla said. "We're still not executing plays. We ran a couple of sets out there that I don't know what they are. We still have those kinds of breakdowns."

Hawai'i, which stands at 3-3 after a pair of weekend tournaments, has three weeks to cure what ails it. The 'Bows don't play again until the Paradise Classic on Dec. 15 and Bolla intends to use the time to get back to basics.

"We need to learn how to play against pressure and how to relieve that pressure," Bolla said.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.