Honolulu— The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team continued its winning ways against the Big West Conference with a convincing 68-44 win over visiting Long Beach State Saturday evening at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
"We like playing at home," said head coach Laura Beeman. "We need the same mentality we have here and apply it on the road now. We have a tough stretch next week against two talented teams, but if we can match this week to next week, we'll be in a good spot."
 
The Rainbow Wahine (11-10, 5-3) picked up their third straight win, as well as their fifth win in the last six games against conference opponents. The win marks the first time UH has been over the .500 mark since mid-December. The Beach (10-11, 5-3) had their four-game win streak snapped and will be back on the road with their next game at Cal Poly on Feb. 8.
 
In what could be described as a playoff atmosphere, both UH and LBSU turned up the defensive pressure in the first half. Through the first 20 minutes, both squads had a tough time handling the ball as the Bows committed 15 turnovers, while the Beach fumbled the ball 13 times. Regardless of the turnovers, the home squad found their groove from three-point land hitting 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, and carried a 12-point lead into the half at 30-18.
 
The momentum stayed in favor of the green and white to start the third quarter, hitting three long-distance buckets in the first four possessions. As the game continued, UH built on its lead behind the production of senior guard Julissa Tago and junior forward Amy Atwell.
 
Tago led all scorers with 19 points as she racked up her eighth straight game of scoring 10 or more points. Her current stretch extends even further as she has scored double-digits in nine of her last 11 contests. Tago keeps working her way up the all-time three-pointers made list, as she sits No. 4 overall with 124.
 
Junior forward Amy Atwell came off the bench for 16 points and tallied 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. It marked the first double-double for UH, as well as for Atwell, since Dec. 8 against the University of Washington.
 
As a team, UH dominated the rebounding battle with a 44-17 advantage, and only allowed the Beach to collect just one offensive rebound, resulting in zero second-chance points.
 
For the sixth time this season, UH hit 10 or more three-pointers, totaling 12 against the LBSU defense. 
 
The 'Bows will go back on the road for their next two conference games, beginning with Cal Poly on Thursday at 5 p.m. HT.