HONOLULU-- The University of Hawai'i basketball team will begin regular-season action this week with two games on the road starting with San Diego on Tuesday, followed by a visit to USC on Thursday.
        

GAME 1 & 2 | HAWAI'I @ SAN DIEGO | HAWAI'I @ USC
Date | Time				Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, 3:00 p.m. HT  | Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021, 5:00 p.m. HT
Location				San Diego, Calif- Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) | Los Angeles, Calif.- Galen Center (10,258)
Television				None
Live Stream				WCC Network | USC Live Stream
Radio				None
Tickets				Purchase (San Diego) | Purchase (USC)
Live Stats				@USD | @USC
Game Notes				Hawai'i | USD | USC
Social Media				@HawaiiWBB  | #HawaiiWBB | @hawaiiwbb  | Facebook

  NEWS & NOTES

• The Rainbow Wahine started the season on a solid note with a 86-76 victory against Hawai'i Pacific in an exhibition on Nov. 3. HPU has consistently been a challenger for the NCAA Division II championship the last three seasons, and it was only their third loss since 2019.
• Freshman forward Daejah Phillips dominated in the game against HPU as she registered a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Phillips returns to UH as the reigning Big West Conference Sixth Man of the Year and is still a freshman due to COVID-19 in 2020-2021.
• In 2020-2021, senior forward Amy Atwell led the 'Bows with 12 points per game; in the exhibition, she picked up where she left off, scoring 23 points on 7-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line against the Sharks.
• Entering action against San Diego, the 'Bows historically have had success with a 6-1 all-time record. The last match-up between the two came on Nov. 11, 2018, with the Toreros picking up their first win in the series 58-50 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
• The opposite stands for the all-time series against USC; the 'Bows have never beat the Trojans and stand at 0-6 all-time

THERE'S SOME COACH B HISTORY
Before coming to UH, head coach Laura Beeman was an assistant at USC from 2010-2012. Since coming to the island of O'ahu, Beeman has gone against the Trojans three times during her tenure. The last time was in 2017, and the last time she took UH to the Galen Center was in 2016. The only player remaining on the roster from the 2017 contest is Atwell, who scored seven points as a true freshman.
 
IVY LEAGUER PROBLEMS
The 2020-2021 season was not an easy one in college athletics. Cancellations, rearranged schedules, constant testing for COVID-19, and overall worry. One conference who decided to be proactive and eliminate some issues was the Ivy League as they cancelled their entire sports schedule. While the conference has high academic standards, athletes still want to play. As a result center Kallin Spiller from Columbia and guard McKenna Haire from Princeton are in a unique situation at UH. Both are graduates students but due to having their senior season taken away, both have two years of eligibility if they so choose to keep playing.
 
HEY! WE KNOW YOU!
While no team wants to see student-athletes leave, it does happen, especially with the landscape of college athletics and COVID-19 giving players another year of eligibility. One player who decided to move on from last season's squad is forward Kasey Neubert who transferred to the University of San Diego. Neubert was a key contributor to the 'Bows in 2020-2021 as she started in over 10 games as a sophomore, and led the team in rebounds with nine a game. UH and San Diego will tipoff the season on Nov. 9 against the Toreros in San Diego, paying a visit to an old friend. 
 
PRESEASON MOTIVATION
At the beginning of November, the Big West Conference unveiled the conference preseason polls and preseason teams. Senior forward Amy Atwell was the lone Rainbow Wahine to be selected to the preseason squad while returning Sixth Man of the Year, Daejah Phillips, was left off the team. In the polls, UH was selected at No. 4 by the media while being slotted at No. 5 in the coaches' poll.
 
HALF AND HALF
On a roster of 18, UH returns nine players from the 2020-2021 roster, including four starters. Headlining the returns are senior Amy Atwell and sophomore Daejah Phillips. Atwell was an All-Big West Second Team member a year ago while being the named Sixth Man of the Year the prior season in 2020. Phillips kept the Sixth Man award in house last season as she claimed the honor, returning as a significant threat entering her second season.
 
PURSUIT OF HISTORY
Atwell is the team's leading scorer from last season, averaging 12 points a contest, and is the team's top shooting threat. Atwell has hit 37% from three-point territory and enters the season with 129 made three-point field goals for her career. She ranks fourth all-time in made three-point buckets at UH, 38 behind all-time leader Megan Tinnin.
 
HIT'EM WITH THE NAE NAE
One return that has many wondering where she'll fit in is redshirt-sophomore Nae Nae Calhoun. At the beginning of last season, Calhoun suffered a season-ending injury, leaving the starting point guard position to then-freshman Kelsi Imai. The transition for Imai was at times rough, but she adjusted as the season went on, earning her a spot on the All-Freshman Team. Calhoun received the same honor in 2020 while dishing out 104 assists and scoring 161 points in 29 games.
 
TRANSFER PORTAL
The other half of the team are the nine newcomers, including four NCAA Division I transfers. Two of the four transfers sure up the post positions with 6'5 center from UMASS, Maeve Donelly, and 6'3 center from Columbia, Kallin Spiller. Both will provide depth to the inside presences of the 'Bows, while shooters Ashley Thoms from Weber State and McKenna Haire from Princeton add various scoring threats to the perimeter. Thoms will not become eligible until December.
 
FRESH FACES
Along with the four transfers who will see opportunities throughout the season, Coach Beeman added two true freshmen into the mix who will also see playing time. Forwards Eva Ongoongatau and Jacque David play similar positions but add something different to the mix. Ongoongatau, a native of Pleasant Grove, Utah, is a shooting threat who can cut to the basket. In contrast, David, a native of Independence, Missouri, is a post presence that can leak out hit the occasional three-point bucket.