Box Score   |  Box Score (html)

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team (6-5, 0-0 Big West) fell to USC on the road, 66-55 on Saturday afternoon at the Galen Center. The Rainbow Wahine had three players score in double-figures. Ashleigh Karaitiana led the 'Bows with 13 points while Shawna-Lei Kuehu and Morgan Mason both had 10 apiece.
 
Karaitiana has now scored 10 or more points in five of UH's last six games. She shot 4-for-13 from the floor and 5-of-7 at the free throw line. She also had a team-high six rebounds and a career-high six assists. Kuehu added four rebounds and three assists while Mason pulled down two rebounds with one assist off the bench. Mason helped spark UH's run at the end of the first half draining a 3-pointer and later a layup as time wound down at the end of the half. It is the second straight game in which Mason has tallied 10 points as a reserve.
 
In the first half, UH and USC (6-5, 0-0 Pac-12) traded leads four times and were tied twice. But it was the 'Bows who started to pull away as the half came to an end. UH held USC without a field goal for the final 6:55 minutes of the half, meanwhile on offense rallied for a 14-to-3 run that saw five Rainbow Wahine—Kuehu, Mason, Karaitiana, Destiny King and Diane Moore—contribute. Hawai'i's defense held USC's offense to just six made field goals in the half.
 
But, the Women of Troy came out firing in the second half and quickly erased its 10 point deficit. USC outscored Hawai'i 17-to-4 within the first eight minutes of the half. Hawai'i kept things close and trailed by as little as two points off of a jumper by Moore with 8:12 left in the game. But, that would be as close as UH would come as USC slowly pulled away to as much as an 11-point lead. USC outscored UH 43-22 in the second half alone.
 
The Women of Troy shot over twice as many free throws as Hawai'i, connecting on 25-of-38 while UH was 12-of-16 from the charity stripe. USC out-rebounded UH, 45-to-29 but Hawai'i outscored the Trojans, 28-to-24 in the paint. Both teams were tied at 15 in bench scoring. Hawai'i tied its season low, committing 11 turnovers, but USC translated those miscues into 16 points while UH converted USC's 15 turnovers into 10 points.
 
USC had four players in double-figures, led by Ariya Crook who had 18 points—11 of which came on free throws—while Jordan Adams pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
 
It marked UH head coach Laura Beeman's first game against her former team where she served as an assistant along with Mary Wooley under previous head coach Michael Cooper. Hawai'i went 1-3 against Pac-12 teams during this pre-season. The 'Bows defeated Washington State at home, but fell to Arizona State, Oregon State and USC all on the road.
 
The Rainbow Wahine will stay on the road for their final pre-season game of the year in Phoenix, Ariz. at Grand Canyon on Monday, Dec. 23 at 1:00 p.m.