| Box Score (pdf) | Photo Gallery |

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i women's basketball team made a standout exhibition debut on Wednesday, defeating UH-Hilo 86-39 at the Stan Sheriff Center. Twelve Rainbow Wahine saw playing time, with all putting at least four points on the board.

UH overwhelmed the Vulcans clear across the stat line, 50-28 in rebounds, 11-1 in blocks, 9-4 in steals, finishing the night with a 53.2 field-goal percentage with 25-points off of UH-Hilo turnovers, and 11 second-chance points. Senior Ashleigh Karaitiana led the Rainbow Wahine with a game-high 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Meanwhile, sophomore center Megan Huff led with three blocks, 11 points, and three rebounds.

Starters Karaitiana, Marissa Wimbley (10 points, five rebounds, 2-5 3pt FG), Briana Harris (six points), Kalei Adolpho (five points, five rebounds), and Destiny King (seven points, three steals, five rebounds) footed a strong lead for the Rainbow Wahine early in the first quarter, opening with seven-straight points. By the end of the period, five came off the bench to finish the first with a 15-point advantage over UH-Hilo after holding the Vulcans to just a single field-goal.

Despite a comfortable start, the Rainbow Wahine did not yield to the Vulcans once and rode their momentum all the way through the second quarter with Karaitiana sinking one of UH's seven treys with just five seconds on the clock for a 47-15 halftime lead.

UH continued to push until the end, taking as much as a 51-point advantage over the Vulcans in the fourth quarter, never looking back for a solid 86-39 victory.
Freshmen Leah Salanoa (seven points, two rebounds) and Lahni Salanoa (seven points, three rebounds, three assists), and Olivia Crawford (six points, one rebound, one assist) all played their part in the Rainbow Wahine's 47-point win as well.

The Rainbow Wahine are set to officially open the 2015-16 season on the road, as they take on Grand Canyon (Nov. 13) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 15) before returning to Honolulu to host the 2015 Bank of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine Classic (Nov. 20, 22)