Hawai’i pushes past Portland State behind balanced effort

In the win column. 

The University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine vanquished the Portland State Vikings on Saturday, 72-50, using a dominant effort on the glass and 10 three-pointers to bounce back from Thursday’s season-opening loss against the University of Portland. MeiLani McBee led the way for UH, scoring 12 points and grabbing five boards in the victory. 

The offense started hot for Hawai’i (1-1), hitting nine of the team’s first 12 shots, but turnovers again plagued the Rainbow Wahine as PSU forced eight takeaways in the opening 10 minutes to hold a 20-19 lead through one period. 

UH tightened the screws defensively in the second quarter, limiting Portland State to six points while dominating on the glass and holding the Vikings without an offensive rebound throughout the frame to head into the halftime break leading by seven, 33-26. Jovi Lefotu provided a spark offensively for the Rainbow Wahine with her own personal 5-0 run while Jade Peacock and Daejah Phillips each drilled three-pointers to help the Hawai’i cause. 

The offense clicked into place along with the defense in the third quarter for UH, outscoring PSU 24-9 in the period to open up a 22-point lead entering the final frame. Brooklyn Rewers imposed her will on the Vikings, pouring in seven points and three rebounds in the third quarter alone while freshman Ritorya Tamilo added four points of her own as the bigs for Hawai’i helped open up the game. 

With a healthy lead in hand, the Rainbow Wahine saw some of the team’s depth get run as freshman Kira-May Filemu knocked down her first three-pointer and scored six points in the closing 10 minutes. Hawai’i saw 11 different players score and 13 players receive time in the 22-point victory over the Vikings. 

Jamia Carter paced all scorers with 15 points (3/10 FG, 7/9 FT) for Portland State while Lana Wegner and Alaya Fitzgerald each chipped in with nine points for the Vikings. PSU must turn the page quickly from the season-opening loss as they travel to San Francisco on Tuesday to face the University of San Francisco. 

Daejah Phillips scored 11 points while snagging three rebounds and handing out three assists in the win for Hawai’i. Freshman center Ritorya Tamilo finished with 10 points and two boards in her first career start and has reached double figures in both Rainbow Wahine games this season. 

Hawai’i will now face a 13-day layoff, returning to action for the home opener against Louisiana-Monroe on November 22 in the first round of the Bank of Hawai’i Classic.