BATON ROUGE, La.-- The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team returns to NCAA Tournament on Friday for the eighth time in program history to battle with No. 3 seed Louisiana State as the No. 14 seed in the Greenville 2 bracket. Tipoff is set for 11:30 a.m. HT, and it will be televised nationally on ESPN 2.

GM 33- NCAA FIRST ROUND | HAWAI'I (18-14, 13-7) VS. LOUISIANA STATE (28-2, 15-1)
Date | Time				Friday, March 17th, 2023, 11:30 a.m. HT
Location				Baton Rouge, La. - Maravich Center
Television				ESPN 2
Live Stream				ESPN+
Radio				ESPN Honolulu
Tickets				Session 1
Live Stats				vs. LSU
Game Notes				Hawai'i | LSU
Social Media				@HawaiiWBB | #HawaiiWBB | @hawaiiwbb | Facebook
Bracket				Click here

NEWS & NOTES

• The Rainbow Wahine will be making their third appearance in the Championship Tournament under head coach Laura Beeman after defeating UC Santa Barbara in the Hercules Tires Big West Championship Tournament finals, 61-59.
• The 'Bows erased a 15-point, second-half deficit, their largest of the season in an unreal fourth quarter behind the efforts of sophomore guards Lily Wahinekapu and Daejah Phillips.
• UH has now won five Big West titles (1992-93', 1993-94', 2014-15', 2021-22', 2022-23'); this marks the first time in program history the 'Bows have won back-to-back tournament titles.
• In the seven previous NCAA appearances, UH received a No. 14 seed one other time, and it was during the 2016 tournament, the first appearance under head coach Laura Beeman. UH faced off with UCLA in Pauley Pavilion and lost 66-50.
• The highest seed UH has ever received in the NCAA Tournament came in their second appearance, and it was in 1990 it was as a No. 9 seed. UH faced off with No. 8 seed Montana and won the program's only NCAA tournament game behind the only Rainbow Wahine to have their number retired at UH,  Judy Mosley.
• Friday will not mark the first time UH, and LSU have tangled. The Tigers traveled to Hawai'i once before to compete in an early-season nonconference tournament in Honolulu, with UH prevailing 79-63, on November 23^rd, 1997. The other meeting came at a neutral site on January 13^th, 1981, with LSU winning 95-64.
• Despite both head coaches being active for over 25 years each, it will be the first time Laura Beeman and Kim Mulkey have coached against one another. Mulkey is familiar with UH, though, as she played against them as a player at Louisiana Tech and coached against them as an assistant at La Tech, as well as at Baylor, combining for a 5-0 record against the 'Bows.

 
ONE BAD QUARTER BUT A SHOWCASE PERFORMANCE
A year ago, UH returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015-16, and all involved were excited for the Big Dance. The downside was that it was a No. 15 seed, and it was against an angry No. 2 seeded Baylor. The 'Bows dropped the contest 89-49, keeping the game close through the first half at 38-29 before the Bears unloaded with a 34-8 advantage in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. The highlight of the day was 2022 Big West Player of the Year Amy Atwell and her double-double performance. In her final collegiate game, Atwell played 36 minutes, dropped 29 points, and pulled down 13 rebounds against a Baylor team with multiple pro prospects. After putting on an electric performance on the national stage, Atwell became only the second player in program history to be drafted into the WNBA a few weeks later. She was selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Sparks.
 
THE STANDARD BEARER
Last weekend marked the fifth appearance in the Big West Tournament Championship game for UH since rejoining the conference in 2012 for the most appearances by any team during that period. All five appearances have been under head coach Laura Beeman, and the 'Bows are now 3-2, making them the team to beat in the conference. Over the last few years, the 'Bows have had a knack for making history. In 2016, Beeman led UH to its first title and NCAA appearance in over 20 years. A year ago, they won the regular season title and tournament title in the same season for the first time in program history. In 2023, UH has gone back-to-back with tournament titles for the first time ever. The 'Bows did, however, make back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances once before, and it was under legendary head Vince Goo when he masterminded the feat in 1989 and 1990 with at-large bids to the big dance.
 
SHE'S READY
If you've seen Daejah Phillips play before, you may already know what "Daejah Ball" means. Essentially, as she calls it, "time to be the big dawg." Phillips prides herself on being a go-to player, and when it's crunch time or when the 'Bows needs a spark, she has provided it nearly every time in her three years. More so this season as she began the season in the starting lineup, but she asked Coach Beeman to start her on the bench to get a look at their opponents and then make some noise. Since Jan. 16th, Phillips has come off the bench, and the 'Bows have gone 13-5; before that stretch, they went 5-9. Phillips is currently on a stretch of eight games where she has scored 10 or more points, including an unbelievable 19-point performance in the Big West Championship game, making her the tournament MVP. In the post-game press conference after the 'Bows semifinal victory over Long Beach State, Phillips was asked about playing in the championship game, where she glared at the camera and said, "We're ready" five times.
 
THE SILENT HERO
Lily Wahinekapu can be best described as an introvert, but one you should be aware of because she is a game changer. The former Freshman of the Year at Cal State Fullerton and now Big West All-Conference First Team member leads the 'Bows in minutes played with 32 a game and scoring 12.6 points per game. From Jan. 16 to Feb. 23, she racked up a 12-game streak of scoring 10 or more points in a game, including a season-high 21 points on the road at Long Beach State. Recently in the Big West tournament, she led the 'Bows in scoring in all three games, combining for 57 points while adding 19 rebounds. Her most crucial performance came in the 'Bows championships game comeback when she scored 11 points in the fourth quarter against UCSB.
 
GET ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE IMANI FAN CLUB
Throughout a season, one player always emerges as the "next star." It's still early, but freshman post player Imani Perez is on the verge of becoming a "go-to" force for the 'Bows. In non-conference play, Perez averaged roughly 14 minutes, three rebounds, and three points while coming off the bench in all but one of those nine games. In Big West play, her time and production were cut even more through the first 14 games, averaging under 10 minutes and roughly three points per game. It all changed in mid-February as Perez stepped up due to multiple season-ending injuries across the roster. She has started in seven of the last nine games, including all three Big West tournament games, where she averaged nine points and three rebounds per game.
 
THE SILENT HERO
Lily Wahinekapu can be best described as an introvert, but one you should be aware of because she is a game changer. The former Freshman of the Year at Cal State Fullerton and now Big West All-Conference First Team member leads the 'Bows in minutes played with 32 a game and scoring 12.6 points per game. From Jan. 16 to Feb. 23, she racked up a 12-game streak of scoring 10 or more points in a game, including a season-high 21 points on the road at Long Beach State. Recently in the Big West tournament, she led the 'Bows in scoring in all three games, combining for 57 points while adding 19 rebounds. Her most crucial performance came in the 'Bows championships game comeback when she scored 11 points in the fourth quarter against UCSB.
 
CLAP THOSE HANDS
The votes were tallied, and all the conference coaches agreed on the impact of sophomore guard Lily Wahinekapu and freshman post-player Imani Perez. Wahinekapu was named to the All-Big West First Team, and Perez to the All-Big Freshman team. At the same time, sophomore guard Daejah Phillips and graduate center Kallin Spiller were appointed Honorable Mentions. Wahinekapu, Phillips, and Spiller bring the list to 25 players under head coach Laura Beeman to receive an all-conference honor. At the same time, Perez is the fifth player to be selected to the All-Freshman squad during her 11-year tenure.
 
DEALING WITH THE INJURIES
One of the downsides of the season has been the number of injuries the 'Bows have had to deal with, as they lost four players to season-ending ailments. Junior Olivia Davies, sophomore Jacque David, and freshman Jovi Lefotu were all lost due to knee injuries. At the same time, freshman Avery Watkins is out due to an ankle injury. At home games, behind the bench, you'll see three sets of crutches and a two-wheel scooter.
 
DOROTHY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT
The 2022-23 season has been a weird one, especially regarding the 'Bows playing at home and on the road. This marks the first losing season at home under head coach Laura Beeman and the first losing season at home since the 2011-12 campaign when they went 7-13; the only other season to come close was a .500 season at 8-8 in 2018-19. On the road, though, UH has found its stride at 11-5 in true road and neutral site contests. Marking only the fourth winning season away from the island of O'ahu under Beeman's 11-year tenure.