Hawai’i opens Bank of Hawaii Classic with comeback on Education Day

HONOLULU – Hyped up for the second annual “Education Day” in Mānoa, 1,200 keiki unknowingly took in a piece of Rainbow Wahine history.

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team secured the program’s 800th collegiate victory on Friday afternoon, erasing a fourth-quarter deficit to come back and defeat Loyola Marymount University (1-3) on the opening day of the Bank of Hawaii Classic, 55-51.

In the return of preseason all-conference frontcourt selections Imani Perez and Ritorya Tamilo from injury, it was Saniyah Neverson leading the charge with 10 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Bailey Flavell had nine points for the Rainbow Wahine, including the go-ahead layup with 20 seconds left.

Hawai’i (3-0) jumped out to a six-point lead in the opening minutes as Danijela Kujovic banked in a straight-away 3-pointer, but LMU closed the quarter on a 9-2 run to go into the second quarter leading by one.

The Rainbow Wahine snatched back the lead to open the second period with Flavell’s lone 3-pointer of the day before Kyra Webb powered the offense to keep Hawai’i in front for the majority of the frame. The Lions pulled back within a point with 2:22 remaining before halftime, but a Neverson layup and Keiara Curtis 3-pointer helped give UH some breathing room.

Tamilo recorded her first points of the 2025-26 season to close the first half, finishing off a feed from Tee Bond before LMU’s Andjela Matic drained a three for the Lions just ahead of the halftime buzzer to send the teams into the break with UH leading 27-23.

LMU leaped back ahead with 2:30 left in the third quarter with a pair of threes from Kayla Jones and Carly Heidger, but Webb tied the game at 31 for Hawai’i a few moments later. Kira-May Filemu followed it up with her first 3-point make since November 4, putting the Rainbow Wahine in front by one heading into the final frame.

The Lions opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, taking a 5-point lead before Imani Perez ended the Rainbow Wahine scoring drought with a pair of free throws and cut the deficit to three with 7:51 to go.

Hawai’i continued to battle, fighting within one before Keiara Curtis re-ignited the crowd with a shot-clock beating three from straight away to put the Rainbow Wahine ahead by two with 4:06 remaining in regulation.

LMU’s Matic tied the game with a triple at 45 with just under three to play, but Neverson answered right back with a three of her own to put the Rainbow Wahine back up, 48-45. The Lions again knotted the game up with 38 seconds to play as Maya Hernandez bullied her way to the rim, setting up a chance for a hero for Hawai’i on Education Day.

Flavell tied on the cape, turning a broken play into the game-winner as she knifed through the defense to put the Rainbow Wahine ahead for good with 20 ticks left on the clock.

“[The play] just broke down,” Flavell said of the go-ahead possession. “I just knew I had to be aggressive and get to the rim.”

Hawai’i held on with a two more stops and a pair of free throws from Flavell and Kujovic, sealing the 55-51 victory and improving to 3-0 to begin a season for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.

Kyra Webb finished with eight points and four rebounds off the bench while helping the Rainbow Wahine limit LMU leading scorer Maya Hernandez to 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Tee Bond chipped in six points for UH, all in the final 10 minutes to help power the comeback.

Jess Lawson led the Lions in the loss, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds while knocking down 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Andjela Matic added nine points and four rebounds for LMU, going 3-of-11 from the floor.

LMU will face off with Idaho State at noon on Sunday while Hawai’i returns to action afterwards with scheduled tip of 2:30 p.m. HT to wrap up the Bank of Hawaii Classic against Portland, who fell 58-57 against ISU on Friday.

The win for Hawai’i marked the program’s 800th collegiate victory since beginning competition back in 1972. Head coach Laura Beeman, who has led UH to more than a quarter of those wins during her 14 seasons, quickly brought up the numerous great coaches to lead the Rainbow Wahine before her and shared her pride in being a part of history for UH.

“Super proud to be a part of this program and thankful for the path and foundation those coaches laid down before I got here,” Beeman said of the milestone for the Rainbow Wahine program. “To get to 800 wins and represent this program with these [players], you know, it’s one of the biggest honors of my life. To represent the state of Hawai’i, represent this program and to do it with kids that represent really well is special.”