LOS ANGELES — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team closed a challenging non-conference schedule with an 85-46 loss to No. 2 UCLA on Thursday in Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (3-6) took a 3-2 lead in the early moments of the game before the host Bruins (11-0) went on a 14-0 run and pulled away to its fifth straight win in the series with UH. UCLA improved to 9-1 overall against UH and 7-0 in Westwood.
 
Half of UH's loss total this season has come against nationally ranked Pac-12 opponents in No. 9 Stanford, No. 23 Washington and No. 2 UCLA.
 
UCLA guard Charisma Osborne led five Bruins in double figures with 17 points and hit three of the team's seven 3-pointers. Center Lauren Betts, a 6-foot-7 sophomore and the nation's leader in field-goal percentage, finished with 16 points on 8-for-10 shooting and the Bruins built a 44-8 advantage in points in the paint. Guard Kiki Rice added 14 points and six assists.
 
UH guard Olivia Davies scored all of her team-high 11 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes. Junior guard/forward MeiLani McBee drained three from long range in the first half and finished with nine points. She climbed into sixth place on UH's career chart with 118 3-pointers.
 
Eight of UH's 15 total field goals came from behind the 3-point line with guard Lily Wahinekapu hitting two.
 
Guard Daejah Phillips added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds, and dished out a season-high five assists. Phillips went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line and UH made all eight of its attempts for the game.
 
UH returned to game action after a lengthy layoff since a 73-47 win over San Jose State on Dec. 3. The 'Bows took their lone lead of Thursday's game at 3-2 when McBee hit a 3-pointer on her first attempt. UCLA answered with a 14-0 run and had 20 points in the paint in opening up a 27-6 margin by the end of the first quarter.
 
The Bruins stretched the lead to 45-16 lead going into halftime led by Betts' 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. UCLA shot 50% from the field in the first half, going 19-for-38 to UH's 6-for-23. The Bruins also forced 17 turnovers in the first half and converted takeaways into 16 points.
 
UCLA entered the game leading the nation in rebounding margin (+21.5) and built a 43-28 advantage on the boards, including 17 offensive rebounds that contributed to 19 second-chance points.
 
McBee's second 3-pointer of the game moved her into a tie with Jade Abele (2002-05), Kyle (Page) Galloway (1998, 2000-01) and Janevia Taylor (2004-07) for sixth place in program history at 117. She then broke the tie at the 1:38 mark of the second quarter and sits 10 behind Nani Cockett for fifth place.
 
Davies posted her second double-digit point total of the season and matched her season high with three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Following the Christmas break, the Rainbow Wahine will close out 2023 and open the Big West schedule on Dec. 30 at Cal State Fullerton. The return to SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Jan. 4 against CSU Bakersfield.