Hawai’i takes down UT-Martin on Day 2 of Rainbow Wahine Showdown

HONOLULU – Skyhawks down. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team shook off a slow offensive start for the second straight day on Saturday, using a dominant third quarter to ground the UT-Martin Skyhawks (1-6) on Day Two of the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown, 47-39. The win marked the 15th consecutive time that the Rainbow Wahine have emerged victorious at home and gave the team its best six-game start to a season in head coach Laura Beeman’s 13-year run with the program. 

Lily Wahinekapu was the lone UH player to reach double figures on the afternoon, scoring 10 points while pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the year and second of her career. Ritorya Tamilo added nine points and 10 boards while Daejah Phillips chipped in eight points all in the second half for the Rainbow Wahine. 

It was another slow offensive start for Hawai’i (5-1), shooting just 27 percent from the floor through the opening 10 minutes but holding a two-point advantage thanks to seven turnovers by UT-Martin that led directly to 10 points for UH. After pushing the lead to six with a 3-pointer from freshman Danijela Kujovic for her first college points, the Rainbow Wahine offense stalled out completely as the Skyhawks ended the half on a 13-0 run to take a 24-17 lead into the break. 

Wahinekapu came bursting out of the break, scoring or assisting on six straight points for Hawai’i to begin the third quarter before Imani Perez’s finish on the move gave the Rainbow Wahine the lead back by one with 5:46 left in the frame. A short jumper from UT-Martin guard Daejah Richmond broke a six-minute scoring drought after the break, but Phillips came sprinting back with a left-handed layup of her own to get the points back before Kujovic drilled her second triple of the night to make it a seven-point game with 3:28 left in the third. 

“I thought both [Kujovic] and [Rebecca Moors], I don’t want to forget about what Bex did,” Beeman said speaking of multiple members of the UH freshman class. “[Moors] didn’t hit shots today, but she did everything I asked her to do … Dani got on the court and got a good look at the basket that really slowed her shot down and defensively, I think it was a pretty good matchup. Dani is a pretty physical kid and so she was able to execute in that full court press.” 

Frustration with the officials boiled over for UT-Martin head coach Kevin McMillan a minute later after Daejah Phillips appeared to get away with a travel right in front of the Skyhawks’ bench, shouting at the referee before quickly getting a technical foul. 

Phillips stepped to the line and drilled both free throws and buckets by Tamilo and Wahinekapu to close the quarter capped off a 22-4 thrashing in the frame by the Rainbow Wahine as UH entered the final 10 minutes leading by double digits, 39-28. 

“I thought the third quarter was outstanding for us, both defensively and offensively,” Beeman said after the game. “It’s something this team is capable of doing for four quarters and for whatever reason, we’re just coming out to some slow starts and not really focusing on the execution.” 

The Skyhawks cut into the margin to begin the fourth, scoring first four points before another circus finish by Phillips restored the 11-point lead for Hawai’i with 6:01 to play. The Rainbow Wahine held that double-digit cushion into the final minute before UT-Martin guard Kenley McCarn snuck in four points to close the gap right before falling after the final buzzer, 47-39. 

Anaya Brown led the way for the Skyhawks, tallying 11 points and four rebounds while knocking down 5-of-8 free throw attempts in the loss. Daejah Richmond added eight points on an efficient 4-of-7 shooting from the floor, hauling in six rebounds and a steal too. 

The Skyhawks will face off against Fresno State in the second-to-last game of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown on Sunday, tipping off at noon and playing the role of opener for a true tournament championship game for Hawai’i and national No. 1 UCLA, which will tip around 2:30 p.m. HT. 

“Overall, we’re 2-0 in a really difficult tournament. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids and their effort, how hard they’re playing, the adjustments that they’re able to make … Really proud of where we are right now, we’ve got our hands full [on Sunday] but it’s a wonderful opportunity for our program,” Beeman stated. 

UCLA snapped defending national champion South Carolina’s 43-game winning streak last Sunday in dominant fashion, rising to the number one spot in the AP Poll for the first time in program history. It will be the second meeting between programs in the last two years and 11th matchup between the Rainbow Wahine and Bruins all-time, a series led nine games to one by UCLA heading into Sunday. 

The matchup will be Laura Beeman’s first against the nation’s top team since 2012, her first year on the job when Hawai’i hosted Baylor in November of that year. The Bruins are led by 6-foot-7 standout Lauren Betts, who was shooting 71 percent from the field entering the tournament while averaging 19.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.