Seattle, Wash.— For the second time in eight days, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team knocked off a Power Five opponent, with a 62-50 win over the University of Washington on Sunday night.
 
"Today goes to show what we can accomplish when we execute," said head coach Laura Beeman. "We played with composure, especially in the second half, and it made all the difference. We are showing what we can do, and we're showing how good we are, the challenge now is to maintain our winning mentality."
 
The Rainbow Wahine (5-5) previously knocked off the University of Texas on Dec. 1 with a 73-60 victory, and it marks the first time UH has beaten two Power Five opponents since 2013. Sunday night's matchup also concluded a four-game stretch where the 'Bows faced Power Five foes in all four games, including two top 15 squads, and went 2-2 over those games.
 
The Huskies (6-2) had their five-game win streak snapped and were held to their lowest offensive output of the season. UW and UH are now tied in the all-time series at 4-4.
 
UH started strong with a 9-0 run to begin the game, and held UW to 2-of-17 from the floor in the first quarter for a 15-6 advantage. The Huskies answered quickly though in the second quarter with a 10-0 run, taking a 16-15 lead with 6:29 on the lock. The one-point lead was short-lived as senior guard Julissa Tago hit a three-point bucket in the next possession, reclaiming the lead for the 'Bows at 18-16, a lead they wouldn't lose the remainder of the game.
 
UH built on its lead going into the half at 27-21, and held UW to 21 percent shooting from the floor while outrebounding them as well at 29-25, despite a height advantage favoring the Pac-12 opponent.
 
"I wasn't concerned about our defensive scheme," said Beeman. "In my opinion, I have the best assistant coaches in the country, and our staff prides its self on our defensive gameplans. We played how we needed to and forced them to take shots they didn't want to take throughout the night."
 
The second half was all about the 'Bows as their lead built to as much as 15 in the fourth quarter at 56-41. UW pieced together a 7-0 run to pull within eight at 56-48 with under two minutes remaining, but even with the surge, UH held off the Huskies for the double-digit win.
 
Nearly mirroring her performance in the upset win against Texas, junior forward Amy Atwell led the way for the green and white with 19 points. Atwell hit 5-of-12 from beyond the three-point line, and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
 
Joining Atwell in the box score was Monroe, Washington native Jadynn Alexander. The junior accounted for 12 points in her home state, going a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and pulled down six rebounds.
 
Freshman point guard Nae Nae Calhoun scored a season-high 14 points and was also a contributor to the rebounding battle with a season-high seven boards.
 
"Her composure night in and night out has made her so successful so far," said Beeman. "Nae (Calhoun) has a next play mentality, and that's important for her position. She's proving what she can do at a high level."
 
As a team, UH won the battle of the glass 50-48, and was nearly spotless from the charity stripe hitting 15-of-16.
 
The Bows will have a week-long hiatus once they return to the island of O'ahu. UH has played seven games since Nov. 22, and will look ahead to a stretch of just three games from Dec. 15 to Dec. 31. Next up will be a home contest against Hope International on Sunday, Dec. 15, with tip set for 1 p.m. HT. The game will be a part of a doubleheader with men's basketball and will air live on Spectrum Sports.