Slow start, cold finish dooms Hawai’i at UC Irvine

Slow start, cold finish dooms Hawai’i at UC Irvine

Jan 25, 2025

Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot looks on during a home game for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Slow start, cold finish dooms Hawai’i at UC Irvine

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 25, 2025

Inconsistency is a killer. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team stumbled again on Saturday night, shooting a season-worst 31.1% from the field and falling at UC Irvine, 71-55. UCI guard Myles Che led all scorers, pouring in 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting while handing out five assists in the win for the first-place Anteaters. 

Akira Jacobs was the lone Rainbow Warrior to finish in double figures, totaling 12 points and five rebounds in the loss. The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward also dished out a career-high three assists while playing 30 minutes for just the second time this season. Senior guard Marcus Greene added eight points in 29 minutes, the most action he’s seen since playing 32 minutes in Hawai’i’s Christmas Day overtime victory against Oakland, and was the only player for UH to not contribute to the team’s 15 turnovers. 

The loss for Hawai’i (12-8, 4-5 Big West) marked the sixth consecutive time that Rainbow Warriors have failed to win at Irvine, last beating the Anteaters inside the Bren Events Center back in February of 2018. UH has lost by an average margin of 16.5 points in those six meetings, only keeping within single digits once in the span. 

Coming off their first loss in over a month, UC Irvine (18-3, 8-1 Big West) was determined from the opening tip as they forced three early turnovers and scored the first 11 points of the game. Following an early timeout from head coach Eran Ganot, Hawai’i tried to respond as Gytis Nemeikša got the team on the board and Jacobs calmly drilled a left-wing 3-pointer for a mini run before UCI guards Justin Hohn and Myles Che found the touch on their jumpers to make it 18-5 in favor of the hosts. 

The Rainbow Warrior offense started to find some success as the half ticked down, trading baskets with UC Irvine and eventually pulling back within single digits with Marcus Greene’s first make from distance. Jacobs split a pair of free throws afterwards to make it a 26-19 deficit for UH with 4:57 left in the half, but that was the closest Hawai’i could get before the break as the Anteaters closed the half strong and went into the break leading by 10. 

Things did not get off to a much better start in the second half as starting center Tanner Christensen, who played two of the game’s first 20 minutes after picking up a pair of fast fouls, got tagged with his third just two minutes after the break and went right back to the bench. UCI capitalized again, seeing Myles Che drill two 3-pointers as the Anteaters’ lead expanded to 15 with 14:49 left in regulation. 

Hawai’i would not let go of the rope, roaring back after a timeout with 3-pointers from Harry Rouhliadeff and Marcus Greene before Aaron Hunkin-Claytor capped off the 14-3 run from the Rainbow Warriors to make it a four-point game with 10 minutes to play. The Anteaters had the answer again as Justin Hohn connected on consecutive triples to push the UCI lead back up to double figures, 54-44. 

Another dry spell offensively for Hawai’i put the nail in the coffin, seeing UC Irvine extend the lead to 15 before trading a few baskets at the end of the game with the result decided already. A layup from Hunkin-Claytor with 2:45 cut the deficit to 10, but Hawai’i would not make another field goal as the Anteaters’ defense had the offense in a vice grip all game. 

Justin Hohn added 13 points and handed out five assists in the win for UC Irvine while star center Bent Leuchten had a calm eight points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Saturday was the 21st straight home win for the Anteaters. 

Despite dealing with heavy foul trouble, Tanner Christensen was able to chip in seven points, six rebounds and a block in a season-low 13 minutes of work. Freshman guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor enjoyed a nice game, producing six points, three boards and a couple of dimes in 16 minutes off the bench. 

Hawai’i will look to put the rough road trip behind them next Thursday, January 30 when UC San Diego comes to the Stan Sheriff Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. HT. 

Defense, balanced scoring effort help Hawai’i outlast UC Davis

Defense, balanced scoring effort help Hawai’i outlast UC Davis

Jan 23, 2025

Brooklyn Rewers (left) cheers on teammates from the bench alongside Jade Peacock (middle) and Rebecca Moors (right) during a home game for Hawai’i. The Rainbow Wahine won their 6th straight game Thursday night, defeating UC Davis for another double-digit victory. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Defense, balanced scoring effort help Hawai’i outlast UC Davis

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 2025

HONOLULU – Six pack. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team kept the good times rolling on Thursday night, using balanced scoring and great defense to upend UC Davis (12-7, 6-3 Big West) inside the Stan Sheriff Center, 56-46. Brooklyn Rewers turned in 12 points and five rebounds to lead the Rainbow Wahine, the fifth time in seven games since the calendar flipped that the senior finished in double figures. 

Lily Wahinekapu and Imani Perez added 11 points each, taking turns dominating the second and third quarters before helping UH hold on in the closing minutes against the Aggies. Jovi Lefotu added nine points and three rebounds off the bench for Hawai’i, hitting a three for the second time in the past three games. 

The victory secured sole possession of the third-best record in conference for Hawai’i (12-6, 6-2 Big West), continuing the Rainbow Wahine’s ascent up the standings after an 0-2 start to Big West play. Hawai’i crushed competition leading up to a massive week of conference matchups, beating all five teams by double figures before welcoming UC Davis into the Stan for the first of two measuring stick games for the Rainbow Wahine. 

“[UC Davis is] a really well-coached and a very, very good team so for the girls to show up and do what they did defensively, I’m super impressed,” said head coach Laura Beeman after the game about her squad. “Offensively, we had our struggles, but we found a way.” 

Wahinekapu started the night on the attack, putting the Rainbow Wahine on the board two possessions into the game with a right-handed scoop layup. UC Davis star Tova Sabel tied it a few minutes later at 2 before the teams traded empty possessions for the next three minutes. 

Ally Fitzgerald ended the scoreless spree with 4:20 left in the first quarter, giving the Aggies their only lead of the night at 4-2 before back-to-back buckets from Brooklyn Rewers quickly pushed the Rainbow Wahine back ahead for good. An Imani Perez 3-pointer helped Hawai’i finish the frame strong, taking a three-point lead after a quarter of play as they held UC Davis to three total makes from the field while forcing six turnovers. 

The second quarter was Wahinekapu’s turn to dominate as she scored seven points in the stanza and connected with her sister Jovi Lefotu to open up a double-digit lead over UCD. After five straight points from Lefotu put UH ahead 24-10, a break in the action helped the visitors recover as they closed the half on an 11-2 run to cut the Rainbow Wahine lead to five. 

Hawai’i saw another player star in the third quarter as Imani Perez tallied eight of her 11 points in the frame with a pair of 3-pointers and the last basket of the quarter to help the Rainbow Wahine inch the lead to eight just before the final 10 minutes. The 6-foot-4 forward continued to show off her growth from behind the arc, hitting a shot from distance for the third straight game and multiple 3-pointers in a game for the fourth time this year. 

The fourth quarter served as a gut check for the feisty Rainbow Wahine, seeing UC Davis work back within a possession with more than six minutes still left to play. Much as the case has been over the past several seasons, it was the senior class that stepped up to the task at hand to help Hawai’i secure a win against the Big West’s best.  

MeiLani McBee, who tied Amy Atwell’s program record of games played in a career on Thursday with her 126th appearance for UH, ripped down a defensive rebound and was intentionally fouled with the lead at four and split the free throws after taking a scary fall. Brooklyn Rewers drained another deep 3-pointer to give the Rainbow Wahine a six-point lead heading into the final media timeout of the night. 

Still, the Aggies would not relent as Victoria Baker’s steal and score with just under three minutes to play brought the game within two. Again, Hawai’i’s veteran leadership responded as a cutting McBee finished a layup through contact and hit the free throw on the next possession and Wahinekapu drew a charge to give UH control leading 51-46 with 2:09 remaining in regulation. 

The Hawai’i defense turned up to another level over the waning minutes of the contest, suffocating the Aggies and denying Sabel’s driving layup attempt with less than 40 seconds left to crush the comeback hopes of UC Davis. The sisters closed out the win at the free throw line for Hawai’i, helping the Rainbow Wahine keep the winning ways working against one of the conference’s elites, 56-46. 

Star UC Davis guard Tova Sabel finished the game with 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, missing all six of her attempts from distance as the Aggies shot just 1-of-21 from 3-point range as a team. Ryann Bennett was the only other UCD player in double figures, adding 10 points off the bench in the loss. 

Hawai’i will wrap up the biggest week of conference games so far this season on Saturday when they host conference-leading UC Irvine for “Beeman’s Bigger Bash” as last year’s Big West tournament champions visit the Big West regular season champions with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. HT. Fans are encouraged to come out and support as the Rainbow Wahine attempt to continue the longest win streak of this season in front of what hopes to be a record-breaking crowd. 

The UH women’s basketball program attendance record is 6,192 people, set in 1998. Last season, Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine basketball fans set a new Beeman-era record of 5,068 people for “Beeman’s Big Bash” against UC Santa Barbara. 

Last-second shot too strong as Hawai’i falls late at UC Davis

Last-second shot too strong as Hawai’i falls late at UC Davis

Jan 23, 2025

Hawai’i G Ryan Rapp handles the ball during a home game. The senior was one of four Rainbow Warriors to finish with 10+ points in Thursday’s 68-66 loss at UC Davis. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Last-second shot too strong as Hawai’i falls late at UC Davis

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 2025

Just too much. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaker on Thursday, seeing two tries from inside the paint roll off the rim too strong in the final seconds as the Rainbow Warriors fell at UC Davis, 68-66. Aggies guard TY Johnson, the Big West’s leading scorer (21.3 PPG), finished with a game-best 23 points and the game-winning jumper with 33 seconds left in regulation as UCD kept pace with the top of the crop in the conference. 

Harry Rouhliadeff led the effort for Hawai’i, coming off the bench to score a career-high 21 points (17 in 2nd half) as the Rainbow Warriors fell on the road to the Aggies for the fifth straight time. Tanner Christensen finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, the sixth time he has recorded 10+ points in the last seven games, but was unable to connect on a putback just in front of the rim that would have tied the game as time ran out in regulation. 

UC Davis (12-8, 6-3 Big West) started out hot in an otherwise unspectacular offensive half, making five straight shots to open the action as the hosts took an 11-7 lead by the first media timeout. The defense of the Aggies suffocated UH ball handlers throughout the opening minutes, seeing multiple late shot clock heaves from the Rainbow Warriors as the offense failed to find any type of rhythm. 

Senior guard Ryan Rapp finally hit on one of the heaves with just over 10 minutes left in the first half, draining his only 3-pointer of the evening to pull Hawai’i (12-7, 4-4 Big West) within two. After Niko Ročak’s putback on the next possession, both teams traded empty chances until Rapp snapped a 5-minute scoring drought with an and-one finish and Akira Jacobs split a trip to the line and tie the game at 18 with 4:47 remaining before halftime.  

After nearly an entire half of offensive ineptitude from both sides, the Rainbow Warriors and Aggies traded tough baskets as the time wound down before the break as Aaron Hunkin-Claytor banked in another end-of-shot-clock prayer from UH. UC Davis guard Leo Debruhl gave the hosts a slim two-point advantage at halftime as he muscled in a layup just before the buzzer, ending a half that saw the teams go a combined 19-of-64 from the field. 

The Aggies came out of the break with a fury, scoring eight of the first 10 points in the second half before UH forward Harry Rouhliadeff caught fire and rattled off a personal 8-0 run to knot the game at 40 with just over 14 minutes left in regulation. Kody Williams (2-13 FG) drilled his second and final three of the game a minute later, giving Hawai’i the lead for the first time since the opening minute of the contest, 43-40. 

Some more Rouhliadeff finesse and finishing helped Hawai’i offset TY Johnson and the UC Davis offense that continued to find success after halftime for a while, but Pablo Tamba tied the game at 53 with an and-one layup with 6:56 to play and put the Rainbow Warriors on the back heel once again. 

The Aggies raced back ahead behind a 7-2 run, taking a 60-55 lead with 4:35 remaining after Connor Sevilla drained his third 3-pointer of the night. Hawai’i’s rally efforts got a jumpstart on the next possession, seeing Niko Ročak pick up his fourth and fifth fouls in five seconds of real time as the forward was whistled for contact against Marcus Greene and slammed the ball into the court after the call, receiving a technical foul. 

The Rainbow Warriors went 3-of-4 from the line, cutting the UC Davis lead down to two with four minutes to play as the program’s first win while visiting the Aggies since 2021 was within reach. 

But then it was TY Johnson time. 

The conference’s top scorer this year showed off his shooting prowess, scoring the final eight points for UC Davis to help secure the Aggies’ fourth win in five Big West home games this season. The guard hit multiple pull-up jumpers from the mid-range, including one to give the Aggies the lead for good with 33 seconds left right after Tanner Christensen split a pair of free throws to give Hawai’i a one-point lead. 

After Johnson split a pair of free throws himself with seven seconds left, the Rainbow Warriors called for timeout with one last chance to tie or take the lead. Marcus Greene got the ball into the frontcourt, worked his way to the cup and got a shot off over a couple UC Davis defenders to try to tie. 

Christensen corralled the miss as it caromed off the rim and quickly tried to put it back as time expired, but the attempt went too strong off the backboard as Hawai’i fell in the final seconds for the second loss in the last three games. 

Pablo Tamba racked up a career-best 19 points to go along with five rebounds in the victory for UC Davis while Connor Sevilla chipped in 11 points (3-of-5 3PT) as three Aggies finished in double digits. 

Hawai’i leading scorer Gytis Nemeikša tallied four points and grabbed five rebounds in 17 minutes of work, playing only three minutes after halftime. Kody Williams and Ryan Rapp each added 10 points and had blocks in the loss for the Rainbow Warriors. 

Saturday concludes one of the most challenging road trips of the season for the Rainbow Warriors as they travel to take on Big West-leading UC Irvine. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. HT as both programs look to bounce back from close, late-moment losses on the road. 

Win streak snapped as CSUN dominates Hawai’i at home

Win streak snapped as CSUN dominates Hawai’i at home

Jan 16, 2025

Hawai’i players retreat to the bench during a timeout while playing inside the Stan Sheriff Center. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Win streak snapped as CSUN dominates Hawai’i at home

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2025

HONOLULU – Toss away the tape. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team struggled mightily from long range, turned the ball over too much and were straight up outhustled on Thursday night, getting buried at home by Cal State Northridge, 83-60. The Rainbow Warriors shot a dreadful 3-of-20 from behind the arc while 14 turnovers led directly to 23 points for the Matadors, but the battle on the boards was the biggest shock as the usual reliable rebounding of UH was dominated from start to finish. 

CSUN (12-6, 4-3 Big West) won the rebounding battle, 40-25, becoming the first opponent to out-rebound Hawai’i by more than one total board this season as they flew all over the floor to secure 14 offensive rebounds. The visitors entered the day ranked one spot ahead of the Rainbow Warriors nationally in total rebound margin (+8.5 to +8.2) but left no doubt which team took the glass more seriously on Thursday. 

Scotty Washington scored a game-high 24 points for CSUN, 15 in the second half, to help the visitors win inside the Stan Sheriff Center for the first time since 2019. Marcus Adams Jr. added 18 points on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting performance and Keonte Jones recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. 

Hawai’i freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor was the lone Rainbow Warrior to finish in double figures, turning in a career-high 10 points (all in the second half) while playing 20+ minutes for the third time in his young college stay. Tom Beattie shouldered the load in the first half for UH, scoring nine points all in the opening 20 minutes. Leading scorer Gytis Nemeikša was held to single digits for just the fourth time this season, adding eight points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss. 

The Rainbow Warriors (11-6, 3-3 Big West) looked ready from the jump, scoring the first six baskets inside the painted area as they took an early 12-6 lead five minutes into action. The Matadors countered with an 8-0 run, accented by back-to-back buckets from Keonte Jones to snatch the lead for the first time with 11 minutes left in the opening half. 

Facing a four-minute scoring drought, Tom Beattie tried to turn on the water with a one-handed flush off a nice feed from Marcus Greene with 10:10 left, but CSUN grabbed the momentum right back by scoring 11 of the next 13 points as Jones drilled the first three-pointer for either side with just under six minutes left before halftime. 

After taking a timeout to regroup, Hawai’i recovered enough to trade baskets over the final minutes of the first half to head into the break trailing by only nine after shooting 13-of-31 from the field and connecting on 18% of their three-point attempts. Cal State Northridge got hot from distance, hitting four threes in the final six minutes of the half while outrebounding the Rainbow Warriors over the opening 20 minutes by nine total boards (7 OREB). 

The break did nothing for the UH momentum, seeing the team come out of the locker room flat as the Matadors rattled off a 7-2 run to open the second half. Hawai’i standout big man Tanner Christensen was glued to the bench after committing his third and fourth fouls back-to-back with over 15 minutes left. 

“He’s got to be more disciplined there,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said of Christensen’s foul woes against the Matadors. “I’ve tried over the years to not be as stubborn on the [immediately pulling veteran players when they get two or three fouls], but the way the game was going, what am I saving him for? … Now playing him through that, maybe he can learn from that.” 

Down as many as 16, Hawai’i sent in freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor for his second stint of work on the night after a non-memorable first half and immediately saw the benefits as the guard rattled off five straight points for UH with a pair of nifty left-handed layups to cut the deficit. Again, CSUN had the answer as the Matadors rumbled to a 12-2 run behind a pair of three-pointers to take a 22-point advantage with just over 11 minutes to play.  

“We had too many freshmen mistakes from non-freshmen,” Ganot said. “To [Aaron Hunkin-Claytor’s] credit, he lets the game come to him. Maybe if it doesn’t go as well in the first stint, he’s going to be ready to go in the second … He recognized what we needed [in the second half], like hey, I’ll start leading and I’ll start being aggressive and we’ll go from there.” 

Looking for answers, Ganot went to his youthful deep bench and gave sophomore guard Osa Obasohan a look with 9:23 left in regulation and the deficit still over 20. The Belgian guard, who had appeared in only three games prior to Thursday night and scored one point, immediately made an impact as he got an and-one to drop before helping the Rainbow Warriors play with a faster tempo.  

“Maybe [the early opportunity for Osa] is something he can build off of, and we were searching,” Ganot said of the decision to give the sophomore a look midway through the second half. “You know, stay ready.” 

Three hits from the free throw line and another layup by Hunkin-Claytor later, Gytis Nemeikša was igniting the UH crowd with a two-handed flush to pull Hawai’i within 12 and force a CSUN timeout with 6:25 still to go. After the stop in the action, the Matadors put the final blow into the Rainbow Warriors’ comeback hopes as Scotty Washington scored 13 of the game’s next 15 points to put the visitors up more than 20 once again. 

Tanner Christensen scored only four points and grabbed a season-worst one rebound while playing just 21 minutes, struggling to stay on the court with foul issues. The 6-foot-10 center was aggressive defensively in his limited time on the floor, blocking a season-high three shots against the Matadors. 

Foul trouble plagued Ryan Rapp after two fast whistles sent the senior to sit for an extended period in the first half, stopping him from ever finding a rhythm offensively. The Australian sharpshooter finished with two points on 1-of-7 shooting, going 0-of-4 from behind the arc in the loss. 

“We’d be remiss if we didn’t give their program, their staff a lot of credit,” Ganot said after the game. “We got hit in the mouth and didn’t respond. We haven’t had that happen to us a lot and it’s tough when it does, but we have got to go through it, get back to work. The belief in our program and our guys is still very high and hopefully that [loss] happened for a reason like we always believe.” 

The 23-point loss is just the eighth loss of 20 or more points in 275 games under Eran Ganot at the University of Hawai’i. The margin of defeat was also Hawai’i’s largest in any conference home game since joining the Big West. 

Hawai’i faces little time to lick its wounds with quick turnaround as Cal State Bakersfield comes to the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday for a 7 p.m. HT tip-off. The Roadrunners completed a 23-point home comeback last time out, defeating CSUN 94-90 last Saturday for their third win in the last four games. 

Sweet shooting, dizzying defense help Hawai’i to big win at CSUN

Sweet shooting, dizzying defense help Hawai’i to big win at CSUN

Jan 16, 2025

Hawai’i G Lily Wahinekapu handles the rock during a home game. The senior had 13 points on Thursday evening, helping the Rainbow Wahine extend their winning streak to four with a win over CSUN. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Sweet shooting, dizzying defense help Hawai’i to big win at CSUN

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2025

Stretch the floor and deny them more. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team used scorching hot first half shooting and elite defense to get snag a fourth straight victory on Thursday evening, cruising to a comfortable 75-47 road win over Cal State Northridge. Junior forward Imani Perez turned in a season-highs for the second consecutive game, posting 19 points, six rebounds and three blocks while knocking down two three-pointers in 25 minutes of work as the Rainbow Wahine secured head coach Laura Beeman’s 600th career victory in her 27th season coaching college basketball. 

Beeman spent the first 15 years of her head coaching career as the lead woman at Mt. San Antonio College (CA), accumulating 390 victories and 10 conference championships in her time before coming to the islands. The coach won her 200th game at the University of Hawai’i last season against CSU Bakersfield, Saturday’s opponent for UH, as the Rainbow Wahine clinched the 2023-24 regular season Big West title and has the second-most victories by a Hawai’i WBB head coach ever (Vince Goo, 334).

Four different Rainbow Wahine finished in double figures, seeing seniors Lily Wahinekapu and Brooklyn Rewers each end the day with 13 points while freshman Ritorya Tamilo recorded her first double-digit point game in over a month as the 6-foot-5 center showed off some range herself with a sagging defensive scheme from CSUN.

Mia ‘Uhila filled up the box score with eight points, eight rebounds and a season-best seven assists off the bench as the transfer from Portland State continued to cling to a major reserve role. Jovi Lefotu added five points and a pair of assists in 15 minutes while Kelsie Imai made her return after a six-game absence due to an injury suffered late in the Hawai’i win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. 

The Rainbow Wahine defense played a key role in the blowout win, holding CSUN to an ice-cold 27.6% from the floor (16-58 FG) while Hawai’i registered the team’s highest scoring output this year with 75 points, surpassing the 72 that UH tallied against Portland State in the second game of the season.  

Hawai’i (10-6, 4-2 Big West) found the shooting touch early with three of the first four made shots coming from behind the arc, including Tamilo’s first career three-pointer to give the Rainbow Wahine an 11-4 lead with 4:58 left to play in the opening frame. The advantage grew to as many as 12 after Rewers hit her only three of the game and followed with a strong finish inside, but the Matadors (3-13, 1-6 Big West) would score 10 of the final 13 points in the frame to head into the second quarter only trailing by a handful. 

Perez and Wahinekapu took turns tormenting the Matadors’ defense in the second quarter, each scoring 10 points in the frame as Hawai’i opened up a 21-point lead by the break. The Rainbow Wahine hit eight total three-pointers over the game’s first 20 minutes, four coming from players standing at 6-foot-4 or taller, and held CSUN to a 9-of-32 shooting performance.  

The offense cooled off in the second half for Hawai’i, failing to connect on a three-pointer in the third quarter as all eight tries ricocheted off the rim. The defense continued to hold its first-half form, silencing the CSUN offense outside of a few three-pointers in the third quarter as the Rainbow Wahine took a 25-point advantage into the final 10 minutes. 

The fourth quarter provide opportunities for multiple players to get some run in, including Kalani alum and former walk-on Hallie Birdsong who hit her first career three-pointer from the right corner – the only make for Hawai’i from behind the arc after halftime. Hawai’i led by as many as 30 before finally pulling the foot off the gas late, moving to .500 on the road this season and going two games above the waterline in conference play. 

Thursday was the fourth consecutive game that Hawai’i has held its opponents at 50 points or below and seventh overall. The Rainbow Wahine are a perfect 7-0 so far in those games this season. It also was the fourth straight time that UH won the rebounding battle, an area of importance for a Laura Beeman squad who is 1-6 when losing the fight on the glass this year. 

Erika Aspajo paced the Matadors with 14 points and five assists while Morgan Edwards was the only other CSUN player in double digits with her 10 points and four rebounds. Former Hawai’i forward Nnenna Orji racked up five points and four steals against her former team, dealing with foul woes throughout the contest. 

Hawai’i will look to make it five wins in a row on Saturday when the road trip takes a turn to Cal State Bakersfield, a program that the Rainbow Wahine have won nine consecutive meetings against dating back to March of 2021. Tip-off is scheduled for noon HT and can be watched on ESPN+.