Box Score (PDF)

HONOLULU – Saturday's women's basketball game between Hawai'i and Long Beach State did not have the look of a match-up between two teams whose postseason fate was set in stone prior to tip-off. With bodies flying and tempers flaring, the Rainbow Wahine clawed their way to a 66-63 victory over the 49ers in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Despite leading for nearly 36 minutes on Saturday, Hawai'i was never comfortable. The 49er defense forced the 'Bows into 21 turnovers, keeping Long Beach State within striking distance throughout the game.

Hawai'i led 47-39 near the end of the third quarter before LBSU made a push to pull within three at 47-44. That 49er momentum was dealt a blow when Martina McCowan was whistled for a technical foul after hitting a layup to get Long Beach State within three, and Hawai'i rebuilt the lead to five points heading into the fourth quarter.

Long Beach State used a 5-0 spurt in the first 43 seconds of the fourth quarter to even the score at 50-50. UH, however, refused to back down. Senior Briana Harris matched Anna Kim's game-tying 3-pointer with one of her own on the ensuing possession to put the 'Bows back on top before Sarah Toeaina added a layup to push the lead to 55-50.

The 49ers answered seemingly every Hawai'i basket down the stretch, cutting the lead to three points on three occasions in the final five minutes, but Hawai'i held on for its first three-game winning streak of the season.

"We didn't let down," Hawai'i head coach Laura Beeman said. "Tonight I saw a look of 'not on our floor, we're better than this team, let's go play that way.' That was really exciting to see that maturation process."

Sarah Toeaina led Hawai'i with a career-high 25 points to go with five rebounds and three assists in the game. Toeaina hit 10-of-13 shots and 5-of-6 at the free throw line, and didn't turn the ball over in 37 minutes of play. Makenna Woodfolk added 10 points, a game-high seven rebounds and two blocks for Hawai'i, and Olivia Crawford finished with nine points, including a 3-pointer that put the 'Bows ahead by eight with just under three minutes to play. Briana Harris added eight points in her Stan Sheriff Center finale, despite battling foul trouble for most of the game.

Hawai'i shot 43 percent from the field and 22 percent from 3-point range, hitting 23-of-53 shots and 4-of-18 3s. UH had a 37-32 rebounding advantage and a 28-22 edge in points in the paint. Each team blocked six shots.

After games around the Big West earlier on Saturday, the Rainbow Wahine (11-17, 7-9 Big West) were locked into a first-round matchup with Cal Poly while Long Beach State (21-10, 12-4 Big West) had secured the No. 2 seed by the time Saturday's game began. Hawai'i's win does move the 'Bows into a tie for sixth place with Cal Poly in the final standings, bumping the Rainbow Wahine into the No. 6 seed by virtue of a regular-season sweep of the Mustangs. Hawai'i and seventh-seeded Cal Poly will square off at 6:30 p.m. (HT) on March 7 in the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.