LAS VEGAS, NEV.— The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team is back in the semifinals of the Air Force Reserves Big West Conference tournament for the third consecutive year with a matchup scheduled against No. 1 UC Davis on Friday at 10 a.m. HT.
  

HAWAI'I (9-7, 8-6) vs UC DAVIS (11-2, 9-1)
Date | Time				Friday, Mar. 12, 10:00 a.m. HT
Location				Las Vegas, Nev.  - Michelob ULTRA Arena in Mandalay Bay
Television				None
Live Stream				WatchESPN | Play-by-play: Trent Rush, Color Analysis: Dave Miller, Sideline: Courtney Sweet
Radio				ESPN Honolulu | Play-by-play: Bobby Curran
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
PDF Notes				Hawai'i | UC Davis
Social Media				@HawaiiWBB  | #HawaiiWBB | @HawaiiWBB  | Facebook
Sponsor				Tournament Sponsor- Air Force Reserves, Presented by The Hawaiian Islands

 
 

PROBABLE STARTERS (from the last game)
Pos.				No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG	Note
G				1	Kelsie Imai	5-7	Fr.	5.9	4.3	4.2	Recorded first double-double vs. UC Davis (3/5)
G				11	Olivia Davies	5-9	R-Fr.	7.4	3.9	2.0	Career-high 17 points vs. CSF (1/22)
G				15	Jadynn Alexander	5-10	Sr.	10.4	3.5	0.9	Season-high 17 points vs. CSUB (3/10)
F				25	Amy Atwell	6-0	R-Sr.	12.4	5.8	0.6	Tied her career-high of 25 points against LBSU (2/26)
F				21	Kasey Neubert	6-1	So.	9.0	8.2	1.3	No. 4 in rpg and field goal % in BWC

  
HEAD COACH LAURA BEEMAN
Overall record: 142-122
At Hawai'i: Same

SERIES VS CSU BAKERSFIELD
Overall record: 13-10, UC Davis
Big West Conference series record: 1-1, UCD winning the latest matchup on Mar. 16, 2019.
UCD has won five of the last seven meetings with UH being the only loss for the Aggies during the 2021 conference schedule.


OPENING TIP

• The Rainbow Wahine knocked off CSU Bakersfield in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference championship 81-67 on Wednesday. The 81 points scored by the 'Bows were a season-high, compared to when the two teams faced off during the regular season. UH scored a season-low 43 points on January 16th.
• UH featured a very balanced offensive attack against the Roadrunners as four players scored 10 points or more, with an additional two more scoring nine. Senior guard Jadynn Alexander led the way with a season-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Adding to the offensive output was freshman forward Daejah Phillips with 15 points and nine rebounds.
• Two keys to the 'Bows success against the Roadrunners were their ability to get to the free-throw line and controlling the boards. UH shot 35 times from the charity stripe and made 27 of those attempts, both season highs.  The 'Bows also had a plus 16 rebound margin, 48-32, adding to their reputation as the top rebounding team in the Big West.
• Friday's matchup against UC Davis will mark the third time the two teams have met each other in the Big West tournament since head Laura Beeman took over the program nine years ago. It will also be the first time the two teams have faced off in the tournament outside of the championship game. UH got the best of UC Davis in the 2016 championship game, while the Aggies returned the favor in 2019.
• The rivalry between UH and UCD is well documented as both teams usually sit near the top of the Big West standings. UC Davis has been the heavy favorite in the conference over recent memory, winning five titles. But the 'Bows have been a consistent thorn in the Aggies side since the 2015-16 season. UH has a 4-9 record against UCD. While the record may seem lopsided, only Long Beach State has more wins against UCD than UH, with five over the same stretch.
• Adding to the recent grudge match, UH was the only team Big West team to beat the Aggies in 2021, and it happened a week ago on March 6th in Honolulu with a final score of 70-60. In the form of Déjà vu, the same scenario happened in 2019 when UH was the only blemish on the UCD conference record. 

BIG WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY NOTES

• While 2021 does mark the third consecutive year UH has made the Big West Conference tournament semifinals, 2020 was vastly different than 2019 and what is projected in 2021. Last year on March 11th, the 'Bows took care of business against Cal State Fullerton 72-59, setting the stage for a matchup with UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals. The following day the sports world stopped, including the Big West due to the COVID-19 pandemic, putting an end to any hopes of a championship returning to Hawai'i.  
• The 'Bows last won the conference tournament in 2016, marking the first under head coach Laura Beeman and ending an 18-year drought for the program. Most recently, UH last played in the championship game as the No.2 seed in 2019, losing to No. 1 UC Davis 58-50. 
• In the words of head coach Laura Beeman, "they don't know, what they don't know". Entering the 2021 tournament, only seniors Amy Atwell and Jadynn Alexander and sophomore Kasey Neubert have conference tournament experience at the Division I level. All three played in the quarterfinals game last season against Cal State Fullerton. In the prior season, Atwell played over 20 minutes in the semifinals and championship game, while Alexander saw limited minutes.