Veteran guards help Hawai’i pick up first conference win at Cal Poly

There’s one. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team continued the program’s winning ways over Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Mustangs for UH’s first Big West win of the season, 62-50. Three different Rainbow Wahine finished in double figures, led by MeiLani McBee’s 14 points (3-5 3PT) as Hawai’i won for a seventh consecutive time over Cal Poly and snapped a three-game losing streak in the process. 

Lily Wahinekapu added 14 points and seven assists in the win, providing multiple timely baskets and a calming presence against some late full court pressure from the Mustangs. Brooklyn Rewers scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, draining two of Hawai’i’s six total three-point makes. 

Despite Imani Perez missing her second consecutive game, Hawai’i got back to dominating the glass by outrebounding Cal Poly by 10 while earning 26 free throws throughout the day. The suffocating defense of the Rainbow Wahine returned after an uncharacteristic showing on Thursday, holding down the Mustangs to 31% shooting from the field and 17 total points between the second and third quarters. 

Veteran guard Kelsie Imai remained out along with freshman guard Danijela Kujovic, but redshirt sophomore Jovi Lefotu returned for Hawai’i after a three-game absence and grabbed a rebound in seven minutes of work off the bench. Lefotu left late in UH’s 56-15 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 16 after slipping and seemingly suffering a non-contact injury and wore a sleeve on her right leg during her return to action on Saturday. 

Daejah Phillips quickly opened the action with five straight points for Hawai’i before Cal Poly’s Ashley Hiraki finally got on the Mustangs on the board with a three. While the rest of UH’s squad continued to struggle scoring, Cal Poly drilled four three-pointers in total in the first quarter, three by Hiraki herself as the hosts took a 16-13 lead after 10 minutes of action. 

Hawai’i’s offense started to find a rhythm in the second period, scoring seven of the first nine points of the frame as MeiLani McBee drilled her first three to push the Rainbow Wahine in front by two with 7:18 left in the first half. Cal Poly’s Mary Carter tied the game at 20 two possessions later before UH rattled off a 12-1 run to end the half, taking a 32-21 lead into the locker room behind a nine-point quarter from McBee. The defense by Hawai’i held the Mustangs to just 2-of-15 shooting in the frame, keeping Cal Poly without another three-point make after allowing four in the first 10 minutes. 

That defense continued to work in the third quarter, holding Cal Poly to eight points over the first eight minutes of the second half as the lead remained in double digits for Hawai’i. It looked like the hosting Mustangs might close the frame with momentum into the fourth quarter after Hawai’i starting center Ritorya Tamilo went to the bench with her third foul with 1:58 left, scoring four straight points to pull within eight before Brooklyn Rewers delivered a back-breaking triple from the top of the key to maintain an 11-point lead into the final 10 minutes for UH. 

Cal Poly upped the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, holding Hawai’i without a point for nearly six minutes before Mia ‘Uhila finished off a second opportunity with an and-one to make it 47-35. The Hawai’i defense picked up the slack for the slow offense, only allowing two points over the same span of time by dominating the glass and allowing just one offensive rebound to the ice-cold Mustangs. 

A three-pointer by Carter made it an 8-point deficit for Cal Poly with 2:43 left to play, but elite free throw shooting down the stretch between Wahinekapu, ‘Uhila and McBee shut the door on any comeback attempts as Hawai’i took down the Mustangs, 62-50. 

Sierra Lichtie led Cal Poly with 11 points, six rebounds and four steals, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor. Mary Carter added 10 points and five rebounds on 4-of-14 shooting for the Mustangs, who fell for the third time in four Big West games this season. Annika Shah, the fourth-leading scorer in the Big West (14.9 ppg) who entered the game averaging 3.0 three-point makes per night, was held to her second-lowest scoring output of the year with five points on 1-of-11 shooting. 

Ritorya Tamilo was held without a made field goal while registering a season-low two points, grabbing eight rebounds in a tough outing for the 6-foot-5 center, who also committed eight turnovers throughout the game. Daejah Phillips finished with eight points, all in the first half, while Mia ‘Uhila chipped in nine points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.  

Hawai’i returns to the islands after salvaging a win in the final outing of a four-game road trip, hosting UC Riverside on January 9 at 7 p.m. HT as the first of a two-game homestand for the Rainbow Wahine.