UC San Diego halts red-hot Hawai’i in Big West Championship

UC San Diego halts red-hot Hawai’i in Big West Championship

Mar 14, 2026

UC San Diego halts red-hot Hawai’i in Big West Championship

Bailey Flavell (right) dribbles down the court alongside a trailing Ritorya Tamilo (left) during the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Championships title game. | Photo Credit: Ku’ulei Agbayani, HSRN

The clock has struck midnight on Hawai’i’s fairytale Big West finale.

After back-to-back magical overtime wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, the University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team’s 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Championship run ran out of gas in the conference title game on Saturday against No. 2 seed UC San Diego, 60-48.

The defending tournament champion Tritons, who split the regular season Big West crown with top-seeded UC Irvine, were led by junior center Erin Condron’s 22 points and 14 rebounds. The first-team All-Big West selection was dominant in the second half, scoring 16 of her points and grabbing nine rebounds after the break to help UC San Diego erase a double-digit deficit for the program’s second straight Big West Tournament title.

Senior guard Makayla Rose was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after wrapping up her conference career with a 17-point, eight-rebound performance to help cool off the scorching hot Rainbow Wahine. The conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Co-Hustle Player of the Year, Rose also racked up a game-high five steals as the Tritons forced 19 turnovers by UH.

Hawai’i (22-11) struggled at the start, going nearly five minutes without a point before Kyra Webb finally got them on the board with a spinning hook to make it a 4-2 deficit at the first media timeout for the Rainbow Wahine.

Keiara Curtis helped UH step on the gas to close out the opening frame, knocking down a pair of free throws and drilling her lone 3-pointer of the day as part of a 13-2 run that opened a seven-point lead for the Rainbow Wahine. UCSD’s Makayla Rose answered with a triple of her own to make it a four-point game after 10 minutes of action, capitalizing on the sixth turnover by Hawai’i in the first quarter.

Jovi Lefotu helped keep the Rainbow Wahine in front with a pair of layups as the second quarter wound down, holding off a push from Tritons guard Rosa Smith before Ritorya Tamilo rattled off five straight points to open up a 28-18 lead for Hawai’i with 1:05 left in the first half.

Erin Condron closed the quarter with the final bucket, finally getting on track in the last minute of the half after being held to four points over the previous 19 minutes.

After Dymonique Maxie split a pair of free throws to begin the third quarter, Bailey Flavell and Saniyah Neverson took turns finishing feeds from Teyahna Bond and Curtis to extend the lead to a game-high 11 points for Hawai’i two minutes into the second half.

UC San Diego found its footing again by leaning on Rose and Condron, seeing each chip in a pair of buckets as part of an 11-0 run that tied the game at 32 for the Tritons with 3:55 to play in the third. A finish from Tamilo and triple from Lefotu kept the Rainbow Wahine ahead until the final minute of the frame when Condron and Rose combined for a 6-0 run to send UCSD into the final 10 minutes leading by three.

Toiling through a third high-intensity game in as many days, the Rainbow Wahine saw the offense sputter in the fourth quarter as they made just four of their final 13 attempts from the field while the fresher Tritons (who enjoyed the benefits of a double bye after earning the conference’s No. 2 seed) sizzled to a 67% shooting clip over the championship-clinching 10 minutes.

“It was definitely hard,” senior forward Saniyah Neverson said when asked about the team’s stamina after playing in back-to-back overtime contests leading up to the conference title game. “But I think we fought as hard as we could. That’s just a good team and we gave it our all.”

Bailey Flavell led the Rainbow Wahine with 13 points in the loss, grabbing five rebounds while shooting 6-of-14 from the field. Neverson chipped in eight points, six rebounds and four blocks while matching Flavell for a team-high 33 minutes of work.

Flavell and Imani Perez each were named to the Big West all-tournament team for their efforts over the course of the weekend. Condron also made all-tournament team for UC San Diego along with Rose being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“Congratulations to UC San Diego,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman said. “They’ve had our number all year long. A very experienced team, their guard play has been exceptional all year long and I thought Erin Condron had a phenomenal game today.”

Beeman’s voice broke momentarily as she closed her opening statement talking about her team that rallied to win 16 of the final 17 contests before the Big West Championship title game.

“Unless you’re from Hawai’i, you don’t know what it feels like when you play for a state,” the Rainbow Wahine head coach said. “There’s a level of disappointment that’s very different when you play for a state. So, tough locker room. Love these kids, super proud of them, we weren’t supposed to be here but they’re amazing.”

Hawai’i will await to see if their season will continue with a bid to either the WBIT or WNIT after falling short of claiming the Big West’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 48-team WNIT team field will be revealed after the WBIT and NCAA Tournament fields come out on Sunday afternoon.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament (WBB) selection show begins at 2 p.m. HT while the reveal of the WBIT bracket begins at 3 p.m. HT and can be found on ESPN+ on Sunday, March 15. The WNIT field can be found HERE.

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

Apr 27, 2026

On a day that celebrated leadership, resilience, and growth, Hawai‘i Pacific softball delivered a fitting Senior Day performance—opening with a statement win before falling in the finale to PacWest Tournament-bound Hawai‘i Hilo. Behind a dominant...

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Hawaii Pacific’s magic carpet ride ends in NCAA Tournament opening round

Hawaii Pacific’s magic carpet ride ends in NCAA Tournament opening round

Mar 13, 2026

Hawaii Pacific’s magic carpet ride ends in NCAA Tournament opening round

The HPU Men’s Basketball team huddles during the NCAA Division II tournament opening round. | Photo Credit: KLC Fotos

 

All good things must come to an end.

After a season that started with a historic upset at Boise State and provided multiple other memorable moments on the way to the third NCAA Tournament berth in program history, the No. 7-seeded Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team saw the 2025-26 campaign close out on Friday afternoon as they fell to the Saint Martin’s University Saints in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, 75-68.

Joshua West led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds in his final game for the Sharks, completing a senior campaign that saw him become the first HPU men’s basketball player to earn All-PacWest 1st-team honors since Niksha Federico in 2018 and finish as one of three PacWest players to receive CCA All-West Region honors in 2026.

Joshua West puts up a jump shot over a defender in the opening round of the NCAA Division II tournament against Saint Martin’s. | Photo Credit: KLC Fotos

Hawaii Pacific (18-12) fought through a slow offensive start, using eight early points from Josh Niusulu to remain within a bucket of the Saints through the first nine minutes of action. Niusulu finished the day as one of three Sharks in double figures with 11 points and three rebounds, playing his final collegiate game just 30 minutes from his hometown.

Six straight points from Quinton McCullough helped push HPU ahead momentarily and a triple from Quentin Meza sparked a 18-6 run that sent the Sharks into the halftime break leading by double figures, 36-25. Hawaii Pacific’s defense held Saint Martin’s to under 30% shooting from the floor as a group and limited GNAC Player of the Year Kaden Hansen to six points and a 0-for-5 showing from long distance over the opening 20 minutes.

The HPU lead grew as large as 14 in the second half as McCullough, West and Niusulu took turns finishing inside the lane after action resumed. Dae’Kwon Watson and Diego Trejo-Delgado helped stabilize the SMU offense, but a silky step back jumper from West and a pair of layups from Maj Dusanic kept the Sharks up double digits with 12:09 to play.

Hawaii Pacific’s offense went missing for the final 12 minutes, hitting on 5 of their final 21 attempts from the floor while turning the ball over five times and making 4-of-6 from the free throw line as the Saints stormed back.

Long distance makes by Patrick Kilfoil and Watson powered the rally for Saint Martin’s, sparking a 13-0 run that put the No. 2 seed in the West region ahead with five minutes to play, 63-57.  The Saints would not trail again.

Meza gave the Sharks one last gasp, tying the game at 66 with 2:08 remaining, but back-to-back triples from Kilfoil and Watson provided the daggers into HPU’s season as the Saints took the opening round game of the NCAA Tournament, 75-68.

Quentin Meza was the third player to finish in double figures for HPU, racking up 15 points for the Sharks and drilling two of the six total made 3-pointers by the No. 7 seed out of the PacWest. Quinton McCullough tallied nine points, six rebounds and three assists while dealing with foul troubles throughout the second half.

CCA All-West Region 2nd-team selection Diego Trejo-Delgado paced No. 2 SMU with 19 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks while Dae’Kwon Watson added 18 points on five made 3-pointers off the bench for the Saints in the win.

No. 2 seed Saint Martin’s (26-5) advances to the second round of the NCAA West Regional, taking on No. 3 seed and PacWest champion Point Loma at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday at Hayward Gymnasium on the campus of top-seeded Cal State East Bay.

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

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On a day that celebrated leadership, resilience, and growth, Hawai‘i Pacific softball delivered a fitting Senior Day performance—opening with a statement win before falling in the finale to PacWest Tournament-bound Hawai‘i Hilo. Behind a dominant...

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Flavell’s late heroics help No. 4 Hawaii stun top-seeded UC Irvine

Flavell’s late heroics help No. 4 Hawaii stun top-seeded UC Irvine

Mar 13, 2026

Flavell’s late heroics help No. 4 Hawaii stun top-seeded UC Irvine

Hawaii G Bailey Flavell & Keiara Curtis run down the court during a home game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

 

Fabulous freshman to the rescue.

Behind late heroics from Big West Freshman of the Year Bailey Flavell, the No. 4-seeded University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team stunned top-seeded UC Irvine (26-6) in overtime of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Championship semifinals on Friday afternoon, 67-63.

Flavell paced the Rainbow Wahine with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including the game-tying three with 7.7 seconds to play in regulation and a go-ahead jumper with 1:28 left in overtime that ultimately proved to be the game-winner for UH.

“Proud of our group,” head coach Laura Beeman said following the win by Hawai’i. “We have three kids that were in double figures and three people that were at nine [points], and it’s really hard to beat a team that plays team ball.”

Senior forwards Imani Perez and Saniyah Neverson were the other two UH players to eclipse double digit points as Perez scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds in a team-high 41 minutes of work while Neverson chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks for the Rainbow Wahine.

Freshman guard Teyahna Bond scored nine points and dished out five assists off the bench for Hawai’i (22-10) while redshirt junior guard Jovi Lefotu added a critical nine points of her own, including an 8-0 run to close the third quarter that helped send the Rainbow Wahine into the final 10 minutes of regulation leading by 10.

Sophomore center Ritorya Tamilo, the 2026 Big West Sixth Player of the Year, tacked on nine points, three boards and three blocks in 22 minutes off the bench, helping Hawai’i hold UC Irvine to 29% shooting overall.

“This is who we have been all year long, even when we were 0-5 to start the [Big West schedule],” Beeman said after her young team after reaching the program’s third Big West Championship game in the last five years. “This group never stopped working, they never stopped believing, they never stopped next play mentality.”

Hawai’i started quickly behind a trio of 3-pointers from Imani Perez, taking a 20-16 lead over UC Irvine after 10 minutes of play. It was the third straight game that the Rainbow Wahine offense was able to post a 20-spot in the opening quarter and the second time in 13 frames against the Anteaters that UH eclipsed 20-plus points in a single period.

The UC Irvine offense started to rev up in the second quarter behind Big West Player of the Year Hunter Hernandez, who scored nine of her game-high 33 points in the frame and hit a triple to put UCI up by a point over Hawai’i with 2:18 left. UH closed with a 10-0 run, seeing Bond and Tamilo take turns with personal five-point flurries to send the fourth-seeded Rainbow Wahine into the locker rooms leading 39-30 over the Anteaters.

Hernandez continued on the hunt for UCI when play resumed in the second half, attacking for six more points in the third quarter before Big West Newcomer of the Year Jada Wynn drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the Anteaters within two with 2:46 left in the frame.

Looking to slow down the UC Irvine momentum, the Rainbow Wahine turned to Lefotu and saw the redshirt junior turn back the clock to flashes of her ‘Iolani stardom as she drilled back-to-back triples of her own and ripped off eight straight points to send UH into the fourth quarter leading by 10.

“I know in the first half I was rushing some or forcing some shots that weren’t there,” Lefotu said when asked about what sparked her finish to the third frame. “Just trusting my shot going into the second half, just doing what the defense was giving me.”

Wynn and Hernandez helped UCI storm back in the final frame of regulation, combining for 15 of the team’s 18 points in the fourth, draining a trio of triples to help push the Anteaters ahead by three with 12 seconds left to play.

In need of a big-time bucket, Beeman and her staff turned to their big-time player.

Flavell, the leading scorer for the Rainbow Wahine and second consecutive winner of the Big West Freshman of the Year award for the program, stepped to the moment and calmly cashed in a 26-footer from behind the arc to tie the game at 60 with 7.7 seconds remaining, forcing an extra period to decide a winner in the rubber match between UCI and UH.

For the second time in as many days, the Rainbow Wahine defense suffocated an opponent in overtime as UC Irvine only mustered three points in the extra period, taking a 63-62 lead midway through the frame before failing to score again.

Flavell again provided the punch for UH, hitting a tough turnaround jumper over the outstretched arms of UCI’s Lauryn Madsen to put the Rainbow Wahine in front for good with 1:28 to play.

Jovi Lefotu split a pair of free throws to make it a two-point lead for Hawai’i and Flavell sank two from the charity stripe with six seconds left to put the game out of reach and send the fourth-seeded Rainbow Wahine back to the Big West Championship game for the first time since 2023.

UH’s reserves played a major role in the win, outscoring the UC Irvine bench, 31-7. Despite committing double the number of turnovers as the Anteaters, the Rainbow Wahine were only outscored on points off giveaways by two.

Hernandez and Wynn were the lone two UCI players to score in double figures on Friday, seeing Hernandez go for a game-high 33 points while Wynn added 18 along with four assists.

Hawai’i will take on No. 2-seed and Big West regular season co-champion UC San Diego on Saturday at noon HT / 3 p.m. PT in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women’s Basketball Championship game with the conference crown and an automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Tournament on the line.

“The bottom line is our glue has been celebrating each other, our glue has been their mental toughness and next play mentality,” Beeman reminded ahead of the conference title game. “That’s not going to change … The message is the same. Go do Hawai’i basketball, go be who you are. If they do that, we’ll be okay.”

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Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

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Trio of senior standouts earn all-Big West honors for Hawaii

Trio of senior standouts earn all-Big West honors for Hawaii

Mar 10, 2026

Trio of senior standouts earn all-Big West honors for Hawaii

Hawaii C Isaac Johnson goes up for a dunk during a home game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

HONOLULU – All three steps of the podium.

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team saw three players honored by the conference on Tuesday as seniors Isaac Johnson, Dre Bullock and Hunter Erickson each were named to the various all-Big West teams after helping lead the Rainbow Warriors to their best conference finish in a decade.

Johnson was named to the all-Big West 1st team after leading Hawai’i in scoring and rebounding at 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 7-foot center drained 31 3-pointers and blocked 30 shots while playing and starting in all 30 games for the Rainbow Warriors in 2026.

He became the first UH player to land on the all-Big West 1st-team since Eddie Stansberry did it for the Rainbow Warriors in 2020 and the eighth UH player to ever make all-Big West 1st team.

“It’s pretty amazing,” a gracious Johnson said of the conference honor. “Coming from a place where I felt undervalued last year, to have the opportunity to come out here and feel the love and feel the support and the belief from my coaches is a night-and-day difference. That accolade is a testament to that … the belief and the love from teammates and coaches and from the people of Hawai’i.”

Hawaii C Isaac Johnson gives an extra stare after a putback dunk in the first half against UC San Diego. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Bullock clicked in right behind Johnson on the all-Big West 2nd-team, averaging 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in his lone season in the islands. The 6-foot-6 wing also led the team in steals with 48 and tied for fifth-most steals per game in the conference 1.6 takeaways each night for a Hawai’i defense that was nationally respected all season.

The senior led the team in scoring 10 times, leading to a 9-1 record for the Rainbow Warriors. Bullock tallied five 20-point games in Big West play and provided a critical buzzer-beating 3-pointer at Cal State Fullerton to help UH clinch a top two seed for the conference tournament.

“Very grateful, very happy,” Bullock said of being named to the all-Big West 2nd-team. “Definitely a good experience. I feel like I had probably my best season throughout my whole college career … I feel like my coaches just believed in me since Day 1 [and] my teammates believed in me.”

Hawaii G Dre Bullock elevates for a tomahawk slam during a 68-62 win over Utah Tech. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Erickson nabbed all-Big West honorable mention for his efforts in an ever-changing role for the Rainbow Warriors, starting all 30 games and averaging a team-high 31.5 minutes per night as he shifted from an off-ball role to floor general duties after Tanner Cuff and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor each suffered season-ending injuries.

The 6-foot-3 guard also averaged 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists while racking up 25 steals and hitting a team-high 39 3-pointers, all career highs for the graduate student. He also cemented himself in Rainbow Warrior basketball lore with a fallaway game-winner at the buzzer against UC Irvine back on January 10 and was the passer on Bullock’s game-winner at Fullerton.

Hawai’i (22-8, 14-6) will await the winner of the Cal State Fullerton quarterfinal matchup after securing a double bye as the No. 2 seed. It’s the first time since the Big West started giving the top two seeds an automatic spot into the conference tournament’s final four that the Rainbow Warriors have earned the straight-to-semifinal pass.

UH’s semifinal game is scheduled for Friday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. HT with the chance to play any of UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara or Cal State Fullerton.

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

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On a day that celebrated leadership, resilience, and growth, Hawai‘i Pacific softball delivered a fitting Senior Day performance—opening with a statement win before falling in the finale to PacWest Tournament-bound Hawai‘i Hilo. Behind a dominant...

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Hawaii handful nabs bunch of all-conference awards on way out of Big West

Hawaii handful nabs bunch of all-conference awards on way out of Big West

Mar 10, 2026

Hawaii handful nabs bunch of all-conference awards on way out of Big West

Hawaii WBB poses together on Senior Night 2026. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

 

HONOLULU – Greatness on the way out.

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team secured seven different conference honors on Tuesday afternoon, seeing a handful of different Rainbow Wahine honored in the program’s final campaign in the Big West Conference.

Bailey Flavell, Ritorya Tamilo, Saniyah Neverson, Imani Perez and Keiara Curtis were the five UH players to receive recognition from the league. Neverson, Perez and Flavell each secured spots on the Big West 2nd-team while Flavell and Curtis each were named to the conference’s all-freshman team.

“Excited for the kids,” head coach Laura Beeman said of the five players honored by the league. “That’s what you always want is for your kids to get recognized, and for as many kids that received awards, I’m definitely proud of this group and the way they’ve started to play well with one another.”

Flavell and Tamilo each received one of the league’s seven specialty awards, seeing Flavell earn Freshman of the Year while last year’s top Big West freshman in Tamilo snagged Sixth Player of the Year for the Rainbow Wahine in her sophomore campaign.

A 5-foot-10 guard from New Zealand, Flavell won the fifth Big West Freshman of the Year award in program history after she led UH in scoring during the regular season with 12.5 points per night and started all 30 contests. She’s on track to be the first freshman since Kamilah Jackson in 2010-11 to lead the Rainbow Wahine in scoring and gives UH back-to-back Freshman of the Year winners for the second time in program history.

G Bailey Flavell after being named to the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown all-Tournament team in late November. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“We always have known that Bailey has been an unbelievable individual player,” Beeman said of the star guard from New Zealand. “I think it’s been the transition into understanding that she’s more than just a scorer. She’s a tremendous facilitator. She definitely gets on the boards. I think Bailey has a Defensive Player of the Year award in her repertoire one of these days with us. I think she does not recognize what a great defensive player she is.”

Flavell also earned spots on the all-freshman and all-Big West 2nd-team for her debut campaign in the islands.

Tamilo tallied 24 of her 28 appearances for UH from off the bench in 2025-26, blocking 40 shots while averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in only 15 minutes of work per game. It’s the eighth time in program history that Big West Sixth Player of the Year was awarded to a Rainbow Wahine reserve.

“I think it’s a no-brainer,” Beeman said of Tamilo taking Sixth Player of the Year honors. “If Tori wouldn’t have gotten Sixth Player of the Year, I think there would have been something wrong with the Big West and the voting.”

Hawaii sophomore C Ritorya Tamilo goes up for a layup on Senior Night against Cal State Fullerton. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Keiara Curtis joined Flavell on the Big West’s all-freshman squad after averaging 9.4 points per game and handing out a team-best 63 assists. She also tallied 23 steals, good for second-most among Rainbow Wahine, and shot 39% from 3-point range while drilling a team-high 39 triples.

“I think if Bailey wouldn’t have gotten [Freshman of the Year], Curty would have,” Beeman said about the dynamic young guards. “I think that [Flavell and Curtis] are a tag team. They’re each other’s Batman to Robin, right? They feed off of each other, I think their energy is great. I think the one thing you’ve seen with Curty as the season has gone on is her personality is coming out … now you just see how charismatic that young woman is, and it’s contagious.”

Hawaii freshman G Keiara Curtis handles the ball on Senior Night. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Flavell and Curtis are just the second duo of Rainbow Wahine to make a Big West all-freshman team in the same season, joining Daejah Phillips and Kelsie Imai as the lone pairs of UH players to do so.

Imani Perez was named all-Big West 2nd-team and All-Defense for the third consecutive season after leading the conference in blocked shots with a career-high 48 over her 29 appearances in her final year of eligibility. The 6-foot-4 senior helped pilot the Rainbow Wahine to the top defense in the conference and fifth-best defense in the nation, holding opponents to 34.9% shooting while giving up the 19th-lowest point-per-game total in the country at 56.7 across 30 games in 2025-26.

Beeman had hopes that Perez would finally break through and be recognized by the conference as the top defensive player in the Big West after her senior campaign, but the 14th-year head coach made sure to emphasize the forward’s importance to Hawai’i’s success.

“I think from the outside, [Imani] may be a little underappreciated. I also know that there are a lot of teams that when we walk on the court know that their best player is going to see Imani Perez and that makes it very, very difficult for them,” Beeman said of her soft-spoken but loud-impact senior.

Hawaii senior F Imani Perez goes around after Senior Night to greet UH fans. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“[Imani] knows she’s our defensive player of the year, and she’s been mine for the last four years,” she finished off.

Saniyah Neverson also made all-Big West 2nd-team for the Rainbow Wahine after cementing herself as one of the best newcomers in the entire conference. A 6-foot forward who transferred to UH from Northern Arizona in the offseason, Neverson started all 30 games for Hawai’i and scored 10-plus points in each of the final eight games of the season.

The senior tallied career highs in points, blocks, steals, assists and 3-point shooting in her lone season in the islands. According to Beeman, that hardly scratches the surface of explaining Neverson’s impact.

“I think we hit the jackpot,” Beeman quickly said about the NAU transfer. “I think Saniyah’s not just an amazing young woman off the court, she’s an amazing teammate on the court and I was hoping she would get Newcomer of the Year … We knew that was going to be difficult with our placement in conference, but [Saniyah] has done so much for our play in the post, our guard play … She’s just an unbelievable human being, great player and like I said before we just scored pulling her out of the transfer portal.”

Hawaii senior F Saniyah Neverson goes up for a layup. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

UC Irvine’s Hunter Hernandez was named the Big West Player of the Year while teammate Jada Wynn received Newcomer of the Year honors for the conference. Anteaters head coach Tamara Inoue got Coach of the Year for the second time in her career after helping UCI to a program-record 26 wins.

UC San Diego’s Makayla Rose won her second consecutive Best Defensive Player award and split Co-Best Hustle Player recognition with Cal State Fullerton’s Cristina Jones.

Hawai’i will take on the winner of No. 5 Cal State Fullerton / No. 8 CSUN in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12 at 9 a.m. HT. The winner of that game will advance to face top-seeded UC Irvine on Friday at 9 a.m. HT in the semifinal round.

 

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

Sharks Split Senior Day Doubleheader with PacWest-Bound Vulcans

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On a day that celebrated leadership, resilience, and growth, Hawai‘i Pacific softball delivered a fitting Senior Day performance—opening with a statement win before falling in the finale to PacWest Tournament-bound Hawai‘i Hilo. Behind a dominant...

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