WACO, Texas – The  University of Hawai'i women's basketball team's magical season came to a close with a 89-49 loss Baylor in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday at the Farrell Center.
 
The 15^th-seeded Rainbow Wahine saw their eight-game win streak stopped while the team ended the year with a 20-10 mark – the third 20-win season under head coach Laura Beeman. No. 2 Baylor moves on to the second round where they will face No. 10 seed South Dakota.
 
Making their seventh all-time appearance in the NCAAs – and first in six years – the 'Bows faced a formidable Baylor (28-6) squad who boast national title aspirations and one of the game's premier players. UH was not intimated though and held its own in the first half, until the Bears pulled away after the break.
 
After being limited to just four points in the first half, two-time All-American NaLyssa Smith finished 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Jordan Lewis added a team-high 23 points to lead the Baylor attack. UH was carried by senior Amy Atwell who posted a monster game with a game-high 29 points and 13 rebounds in her final game in a Rainbow Wahine jersey.
 
UH hung tough in the first half. The Rainbow Wahine trailed just 16-12 after the first quarter and it was a 26-21 game midway through the second quarter. The 'Bows were powered by a masterful first-half performance by Atwell who poured in 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the first-half alone to keep UH within 38-29 at the break.
 
But the Bears turned it on coming out of the locker room. Baylor out-scored UH 34-8 in the decisive third quarter, including a string of 14 unanswered points. Baylor ended the game shooting 53 percent from the field while holding the Rainbow Wahine to just 22 percent.  
 
Despite the loss, UH enjoyed a historic campaign. The 2021-22 squad became the first Rainbow Wahine team to win both the regular-season and tournament titles in the same season, spanning more than 35 years of conference play.  
 
It also marked the end of the road for Atwell, who enjoyed a brilliant six-year career with the Rainbow Wahine. The South Perth, Australia native and 2021-22 Big West Player of the Year, leaves as the school's career leader in three-pointers made (205) and games played (126). She also finished seventh in points scored (1,270) after surpassing both Shawna Lei-Kuehu and Kendis Leeburg on the all-time list following her spectacular performance on Friday.