BATON ROUGE, La.  - The University of Hawaii women's basketball team saw its stellar season come to an end with a 73-50 loss to LSU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday before at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Making their second straight appearance in the NCAAs, the 14th-seeded Rainbow Wahine saw their five-game win streak snapped, while ending the year with a 18-15 record under head coach Laura Beeman. No. 3 LSU (29-2) improved to a perfect 16-0 at home this year and marched on to the second round where they will face No. 6 seed Michigan.
 
In the 'Bows first-ever visit to Baton Rouge and the first meeting between the teams in more than 25 years, UH gave LSU a competitive fight for a good portion of the game, but couldn't overcome a smothering Tiger defense and the exploits of first-team All-American Angel Reese.

Reese came into the game as one of the nation's top scorers and rebounders and was true to form. The sophomore forward finished with 34 points and 18 rebounds for her 29th double-double of the season. Behind Reese, LSU out-scored UH 44-16 in the paint. 

Meanwhile, LSU stifled the Rainbow Wahine into 31 percent shooting, while forcing 21 turnovers. The Tigers registered 12 steals and eight blocks, the bulk of which came in the first quarter when LSU forged a lead it would not relinquish. 

Kallin Spiller finished with 13 points and five rebounds in her final appearance as Rainbow Wahine player. Big West Tournament MVP Daejah Phillips also had 13 points, while shooting 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Lily Wahinekapu added 11 points and six rebounds.

UH held an early 5-4 lead but the Tiger proceeded to score 12 unanswered points to take a double-digit lead. The 'Bows committed eight turnovers in the first eight minutes and trailed 18-7 after the opening quarter and 35-22 at halftime. 

However, UH continued to hang tough after the break and it was just a nine-point game following a Spiller three-pointer with seven minutes left in the third quarter. But the Tigers extended its lead to 15 by the end of the third quarter and put the game away for good by converting 9-of-11 field goals in the final quarter.  

Despite the loss, UH enjoyed another historic season. The 2022-23 overcame a 1-7 start to finish with 18 wins, while capturing its second straight Big West Tournament title. It marked the first time in program history the team won back-to-back conference tournament titles.