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HONOLULU--The University of Hawai`i women's basketball came out with energy, battled hard and maintained their composure down the stretch to knock off conference leader Long Beach State, 72-64 on Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. Shawna-Lei Kuehu came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points. Shawlina Segovia had a strong game, recording her first career double-double with 14 points and career-high 15 rebounds while Destiny King added 12 points in UH's ninth straight home conference win dating back to last season. Hawai'i improved to 12-7 overall and 4-2 in the Big West. The 49ers fell to 17-3 overall and 4-2 in conference action. For The Beach, it was their first road loss of the season and the first time they've fallen in two consecutive games this season.

Kuehu led UH in the physical win over LBSU and helped to spur on the Rainbow Wahine in the win. She shot an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free thwo line. She added six rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals to fill her stat line.

Segovia came through with arguably her best performance of the season with a complete game on offense and defense. She had 15 of UH's 44 rebounds in the game while playing a career-high 33 minutes on the court. She shot 6-of-14 in field goals and was 2-of 3 from the charity stripe.

Eight of King's 12 points came in the second half and she helped to fend off the 49ers down the stretch. She went 3-for-10 shooting and was almost perfect from the free throw line making 6-of-7 shots. She also added six rebounds with two assists and a steal.

In the first half, Hawai`i went on an early 12-to-0 run that was capped by back-to-back layups by Morris that gave UH a 20-8 lead with 10:42 left on the clock. The Rainbow Wahine took a 38-27 lead into halftime. Kuehu and Segovia led UH with eight points apiece. Segovia also had a team-high eight rebounds at the break.

The second half started with a bang on trey nailed by Ashleigh Karaitiana with just 23 seconds gone by. But then momentum swings went back and forth through the rest of the game. Long Beach State went on a mini 5-0 run all on free throws to cut their deficit to single digits, 41-32. But Hawai'i would get layups by Kuehu and Morgan Mason, plus a free throw by Megan Huff to push UH's lead back to 14, 46-32 with 15:16 left in the game. LBSU though started to chip away at Hawai'i's lead to go on a 9-to-0 run of their own to trail 48-43 with 9:56 on the clock. UH answered right back and built their lead right back up to double digits on a 6-to-1 run, 54-44 at the 8:45 mark. The 49ers would make one last charge at the 'Bows with a 7-to-2 run that cut UH's lead to just three points, 58-55 with 3:38 left in the game. But, that would be as close as LBSU would get. Kuehu would nail a jumper with the foul and converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 3:00 left with UH leading 61-55. The two teams traded points down the stretch. But UH sealed the win by making 5-of-6 free throws in the last 40-seconds--four of which were made by King in the clutch.

Hawai'i out-rebounded Long Beach State, 44-to-26 with 16 offensive rebounds that led to 13 points. UH led LBSU, 34-to-26 in points in the paint and 26-to-23 in bench scoring. The 49ers however, outscored the 'Bows in points off of turnovers, 24-to-18.

LBSU also had four players in double-figures, led by Anna Kim's 12 points and six rebounds. Alex Sanchez became the 22nd player in LBSU history to record 1,000 points in her career. she had 10 points in the game. Lauren Spargo and Devin Hudson also added 10 ponits apiece.

Prior to the game, the late Ah Chew Goo was recognized as the game's honorary captain. Goo was a basketball great in Hawai`i and the UH men's head coach from 1954-56. He was a strong supporter of the Rainbow Wahine basketball team. Earlier this year, he had chosen this Long Beach State game to be the Honorary Captain, but Goo passed away at the age of 96 a few weeks ago. The team's most prestigious award for excellence through dedication, determination and perseverance has been named in honor of Ah Chew Goo. Former Hawai`i women's coach Vince Goo accepted the honor on his father's behalf.

Hawai'i has three more games in their four-game conference homestand. Up next for the 'Bows is CSUN who will come to Hawai'i with a 14-7 overall record and 4-3 mark in the Big West after falling to UC Riverside at home, 68-56 on Thursday night. The game is slated to start at 5:00 p.m. following the annual UH Alumnae Game which starts at 2:00 p.m. The late Judy Mosley-McAfee will be honored at halftime of the UH vs. CSUN game with her jersey becoming the first to be retired in the Stan Sheriff Center.