HONOLULU, Hawai'i ? The University of Idaho women's basketball team showed a lot of character Saturday night, as the Vandals battled back from multiple double-digit deficits, but in the end Hawai'i was too much as the Vandals fell 68-53 on the road.

“I have really mixed emotions about this game,” Idaho coach Mike Divilbiss said. “On one hand, I was very frustrated in the first half, because we didn't do anything we needed to do to win this game and didn't do anything we were capable of as players.

“On the other hand, in the second half we did exactly what we were supposed to do, exactly according to our ability and got back into the game.”

True freshman Carli Bakondy helped spark a late 16-3 Idaho run that got the Vandals (2-17, 1-6 WAC) within one point at 48-47 with 6:41 to go, but the Rainbow Wahine (8-11, 2-4 WAC) answered right back with a big run of their own?just like they had all game long?to put the game away.

Bakondy finished the game with a career-high 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in a career-high 26 minutes of play.

“Carli stepped up and played really well,” Divilbiss said. “That's what we thought she'd do when we recruited her.

“It takes time for some kids, but she's been working hard and improving and you could see this coming.”

Some good news out of the game for Vandal fans is that sophomore Katie Madison was able to play after being forced to sit out Thursday's loss to San Jose State with a knee injury. She finished the game with nine points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

“Katie gives us an inside presence. You can't play without an inside presence,” Divilbiss said. “She makes the players around her better. That's what great players do.”

With the Vandals trailing by 13 points at the halftime break, one might expect the team to pack it in and lose focus, but Idaho did just the opposite. Entering the second half down 36-23, the Vandals opened up the first two minutes on a 6-1 run to get within eight, but then the Wahine stretched the lead back up to 14 at 43-29 at the 16:26 mark. It would become the theme for the remainder of the half.

The Vandals made their final push at the 13:27 mark, trailing by 14 at 45-31. Freshman Yinka Olorunnife hit a free throw that started a 16-3 Idaho run over the next six minutes. Bakondy got seven of her 11 points and Idaho forced eight turnovers during the span to turn the game into a nail-biter at 48-47 with 6:41 remaining. The feeling wasn't long-lived, however, as Hawai'i rattled off 12 straight over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach.

Hawai'i's Tanya Smith had a career night on the boards, as she locked in a double-double with 14 points and 25 rebounds?equal to the rebound total of the entire Idaho team. Iwona Zagrobelna added 15 points and four boards.

Idaho was outscored 32-18 in the paint, the largest margin of the season, and 15-4 on second-chance points. The Vandals improved their shooting percentage slightly over Thursday's effort, but were still just .358 from the field, compared to the Wahine's .436.

The Vandals will now head back to familiar territory over the next two weeks, as they host three straight at the Cowan Spectrum, starting with next Saturday's matchup against in-state rivals, Boise State. Game time will be 7 p.m.