SAN DIEGO, CALIF.— The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team dropped its first Big West Conference game of the season in an 82-58 loss to UC San Diego Thursday night at RIMAC Arena.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (4-7, 1-1) have yet to win a game on the road this season, moving their record to 0-4 away from the island of 'Oahu. The Tritons (6-7, 3-1) bounced back after suffering their first conference loss to UC Irvine on Tuesday and took the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
Sophomore guard Olivia Davies was the bright spot of the first half as UH trailed all 20 minutes to UCSD. Davies went 4-of-6 from the floor, accounting for 10 points off the bench, playing a vital role. As the 'Bows trailed 26-13, the 'Bows put together a 11-2 run, cutting the deficit to 28-24. The two squads sparred to a 35-28 score going into the locker room at the half.
 
The third quarter proved to be the difference-maker as UCSD outscored UH 25-16, including a 15-0 run after graduate forward Amy Atwell went down with an injury. The quarter ended with UH trailing 61-43.
 
Atwell returned and was productive, but it was not enough as the Tritons continued to scorch the nets, hitting 16-of-37 from beyond the arc for the game, including 11 in the second half. The hot hands by the home squad led to the eventual final.
 
It was a slow start by Atwell, scoring four points in the first half, but she finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double in as many games. It was the first time the 'Bows had a player record consecutive games with a double-double since Sarah Toenia accomplished the feat in February of 2018 in back-to-back overtime games against Long Beach State and CSUN.
 
Freshman guard Kelsie Imai turned in one of her best performances on the season as she started her second consecutive game. Imai finished with six points, seven boards, and nine assists in a team-high 29 minutes.
 
On Saturday, UH will wrap up its first conference road trip with a stop at UC Irvine. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. HT.