HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team capped its first weekend at home with a 67-55 win over Eastern Washington in the finale of the Bank of Hawai'i Classic on Sunday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine went 2-0 in the tournament for the first time since 2017 and improved to 3-1 in their best start since 2019.
MeiLani McBee hit four 3-pointers and led the Rainbow Wahine with 12 points and fellow senior
Lily Wahinekapu filled the stat sheet with nine points, eight rebounds and four assists and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Freshman center
Ritorya Tamilo added eight points and blocked two shots and joined Wahinekapu on the All-Tournament team.
Imani Perez, a 6-foot-4 junior, combined with the 6-5 Tamilo to give the 'Bows a towering frontcourt and finished with 11 points.
Brooklyn Rewers contributed key minutes off the bench with nine points and seven rebounds and
Daejah Phillips had seven points, and came up with three of UH's 10 steals.
The 'Bows took a 4-3 lead at the 5:46 mark of the first quarter and didn't trail again for the remainder of the game, stretching the margin to 17 in the third quarter and maintaining at least a nine-point cushion through the final buzzer.
After Eastern Washington (1-5) hit its first shot of the game, UH held the Eagles scoreless on 0-for-13 shooting over the next seven-plus minutes while building a 10-3 lead. EWU found its range late in the first quarter but Perez hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give UH a 15-10 lead at the end of the period.
EWU hit three 3-pointers early in the second quarter to close to 21-19 and UH led by six before a flurry in the final minute of the half pushed the margin back to double digits. McBee hit her first 3-pointer of the game with 45 seconds left in the half and Phillips came up with a steal on the inbounds. UH ran the clock down and McBee drained another 3-pointer off of one foot to beat the shot clock and sent UH into the locker room with a 38-26 lead.
McBee opened the third quarter with her third straight 3-pointer and Tamilo scored to extend the lead to 17. Rewers later hit a 3-pointer and the 'Bows took a 55-44 lead into the final period.
EWU closed the gap to nine three times in the fourth quarter, but UH answered each time with McBee all but sealing the win with her fourth 3-pointer with 2:53 left.
The Rainbow Wahine will next host the three-day American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown over Thanksgiving weekend. UH faces Fresno State on Nov. 29 and UT Martin on Nov. 30. The 'Bows close the tournament against No. 5 UCLA on Dec. 1. UH will play at 2:30 p.m. all three days.
Bank of Hawai'i Classic All-Tournament Team
Jakayla Johnson, Louisiana Monroe
Peyton Howard, Eastern Washington
Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Maia Jones, Saint Mary's
Ritorya Tamilo, Hawai'i
MVP—Lily Wahinekapu, Hawai'i
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