Game Notes

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team looks to bounce back at Cal State Northridge after falling at Long Beach State on Thursday night. The Rainbow Wahine (10-8, 4-2 Big West) dropped to third place behind Cal Poly (12-8, 6-1 BWC) and CSUN (9-12, 5-2 BWC). Cal State Fullerton is right behind UH with a 3-2 conference record. 

The loss at LBSU snapped UH's four-game win streak--the program's longest win streak since the 2006-07 season. Hawai'i was without its top two scorers for much of the game in Kamilah Jackson and Shawna-Lei Kuehu. But their teammates did not skip a beat and battled hard all game long. For the second-straight game, UH had a balanced scoring attack with five players recording 10 or more points. The Rainbow Wahine were led by Sydney Haydel's 16 points with Ashleigh Karaitiana scoring 14, Destiny King adding 13, and Morgan Mason and Brianna Harris both adding 10 points apiece. King was the stand-out of the game as she notched her first career double-double with a career-high 15 rebounds.

Overall, Hawai'i continues to be lead by Jackson who is averaging 15.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. Karaitiana is second on the team, scoring 10.6 points a game with a team-high 21 treys made this season. Kuehu is also averaging double-digits in points, with 10.2 a game. She leads UH with 19 blocked shots--12 more than her closest teammate. King is also having a solid season averaging 8.2 points and 6.2 rebounds a game and leads UH with 48 assists.

Hawai'i's defense and rebounding has stepped up in conference action. In Big West games, UH ranks first in conference in scoring defense, rebounding defense and rebounding margin. In UH's four conference wins, Hawai'i held all their opponents below their season average (-14.6 points on average) and in 12-of-18 games this season, the Rainbow Wahine have out-rebounded their counterparts—including six straight games leading up to LBSU.

The 'Bows are in the midst of the toughest part of their schedule with games at LBSU, CSUN, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. The Matadors are 5-2 in the Big West and 9-12 overall. Since UH defeated CSUN, the Matadors have been on a roll, winning four of their last five games. 

Game 19 Tipoff Notes

Who: Hawai'i (10-8, 4-2 Big West) at Cal State Northrdige (9-12, 5-2 Big West)

When: Saturday, Feb. 1 at 4:00 pm (PST)

Location: The Matadome (1,200) – Northridge, Calif.

Live Video Stream: Watch the game on the internet at www.gomatadors.com

Live Audio Stream: Listen to the game on the internet at www.gomatadors.com

Livestats: Live in-game stats available at www.gomatadors.com

Head Coaches: Hawai'i head coach Laura Beeman is in her second season with the Rainbow Wahine. She has a 27-22 record at UH. At Mt. San Antonio, she recorded a 390-110 record in the junior college ranks. CSUN's head coach Jason Flowers has a 45-67 record in four seasons with the Matadors.

Series History: Hawai'i has a 5-0 record against the Matadors. In their first meeting this season, Hawai'i defeated CSUN, 54-44 at the Stan Sheriff Center on Jan. 12. Last year, UH swept the home-and-home series. Hawai'i won in Northridge, 65-53, on Feb. 2 and then again in Honolulu on Mar. 2, 69-60. 

-UH-