Box Score | Box Score (html) | Photo Gallery (Courtesy of Andrew Lee)
Game Highlights (Courtesy of OCSports)

HONOLULU-The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team rolled to their 10th straight victory with a dominant, 75-37 win over UC Irvine on Thursday night in the Stan Sheriff Center. Hawai'i improved to 18-7 overall and 10-2 in the Big West while UC Irvine fell to 5-21 and 2-9 in conference. Megan Huff led the Rainbow Wahine with 12 points. Ashleigh Karaitiana and Shawna-Lei Kuehu added 11 points apiece with Kuehu pulling down a game-high eight rebounds. The Rainbow Wahine shot 56.3% and outscored the Anteaters 45-14 in the second half alone. The 'Bows almost doubled up UCI on the glass, outrebounding their opponents 59-to-25 for a 34 advantage-their biggest margin of the season. UCI's 37 points scored was the lowest total allowed by UH this season and the lowest since UH allowed LIU Brooklyn to score just 33 in head coach Laura Beeman's first season in 2012-13.

The 10th straight victory is the longest streak under Beeman and the longest sinceVince Goo's 1997-98Rainbow Wahine squad won 19-straight. UH's 10-2 conference record is the best start since Goo's 2000-01 team went 10-2 to start their Western Athletic Conference season. Hawai'i's 18 wins this season is the most under coach Beeman. In her first two seasons, she led UH to back-to-back 17-14 records.

The Rainbow Wahine got off to a slow start in the first half, scoring their first four points on free throws. Their first field goal was a Karaitiana trey at the 14:04 mark that gave UH an early 7-4 lead. Hawai'i started to get their offense going and went into the half with a 30-23 lead. Morgan Mason, Sarah Toeaina and Karaitiana all led at the break with six points apiece.

But in the second half, UH's offense started clicking on all cylinders while their defense clamped down on UC Irvine, holding them to just six points through the first 18 minutes of the second half as the 'Bows went on a 38-to-6 run until the Anteaters sank two treys and a jumper with less than three minutes left on the clock. UCI was 1-for-22 from the floor during a span of over 15 minutes during Hawai'i's epic run.

Hawai'i pounded out points paint, outscoring UCI, 38-to-16. But it was UH's bench that did the most damage to the Anteaters, outscoring their reserves, 45-to-4. UH's biggest lead was 41 points with 1:19 left in the game. The 'Bows had just eight turnovers with 17 assists. All 13 players suited up played and pulled down at least one rebound and all but two scored at least two points.

Huff came off the bench to tally her 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor with four made free throws in 12 minutes of action. Kuehu shot 4-of-7 in field goals and was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe and Karaitiana was 4-of-12 with two treys with a team-high four assists and two steals.

Breana Jones scored a career-high eight points, draining a pair of 3-pointers and a layup. It was her first made treys of her collegiate career.

Mokun Fajemisin scored a team-high 11 points for UC Irvine and Raelyn Cheung-Sutton added eight for the Anteaters.

UH's win over the Anteaters sets up a showdown with UC Davis this Saturday. UC Davis sank a conference-record 17 3-pointers en route to an 83-66 win over Long Beach State on Thursday. The Aggies remain in second place at 8-3 after the win over the 49ers. Long Beach State, CSUN, UC Riverside and Cal Poly are all in a log-jam tied at third at 7-5 as the season comes down the homestretch. Hawai`i's game against UC Davis will be on Saturday, February 21 at 5:00 p.m. in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Prior to the game, a moment of silence was observed to honor Jennifer Matsuda. Matsuda was the long time director of Student-Athlete Academic Services at UH's Nagatani Academic Center who lost her battle with cancer earlier this week.