HENDERSON, Nev.-- The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team prevailed past rival Long Beach State 67-62 in the semifinals of the Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championship at The Dollar Loan Center Friday afternoon.
 
The defending Big West tournament champions Rainbow Wahine (17-14, 13-7) will play in the championship game against fifth-seeded UC Santa Barbara Saturday at 3:00 p.m. PT. UH avenged two losses to The Beach in the regular season and will be seeking its third Big West championship since 2016.
 
Sophomore guard Lily Wahinekapu led the 'Bows with 18 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final minute of the game. Daejah Phillips had 12 points and Imani Perez added 10 points, including two big buckets in the fourth quarter that put the Rainbow Wahine up by nine.
 
The Beach (23-9, 17-4) was led by Kianna Hamilton-Fisher, who finished with 17 points.
 
UH and LBSU traded blows throughout the first half with The Beach holding the largest lead of the first 20 minutes at four in the first quarter. Lily Wahinekapu provided the offensive push by the 'Bows, scoring eight of her team-high 18 points in the half.
 
The second half started with UH clicking on all cylinders as the trio of sophomore guards Meilani McBee, Kelsie Imai, and Wahinekapu hit back-to-back-to-back threes for a 34-28 lead halfway through the third frame. UH finished the third quarter converting 5-for-8 from three-point range to take a 46-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Rainbow Wahine built their lead to nine after consecutive buckets by Perez and pushed their lead to double digits at 57-47 after a pair of free throws by Thoms with 2:18 left.
 
The Beach scored the next seven points to pull within three with a minute left. But Wahinekapu was clutch down the stretch on the free throw line and a breakaway lay-up by Perez with 35.9 seconds left made it a seven-point game. The Beach converted a pair of late three-pointers to close within three with three seconds left but the 'Bows sealed it with a Phillips lay-up at the buzzer.
 
UH will now play in the championship game for the fifth time since rejoining the conference in 2012 - the most of any team in the league over that stretch. The 'Bows are 2-2 under head coach Laura Beeman in title games. UH and UCSB split the season series including a 10-point win by Hawai'i in the regular season finale in Honolulu.