HONOLULU — The Big West-leading University of Hawai'i women's basketball team will aim to protect its spot atop the conference standings while targeting an attendance mark when the Rainbow Wahine play host to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Feb. 17 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The event — dubbed
"Beeman's Big Bash" — will feature a rematch of last year's Big West Championship final and the second meeting of the season between the Rainbow Wahine (14-9, 11-3 Big West) and Gauchos (16-8, 10-4). UH pulled off a remarkable comeback to rally past UCSB and claim the conference title last season. Last month, UCSB handed UH a 65-53 loss on Jan. 25 at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara.
UH will look to surpass the highest attendance figure of head coach
Laura Beeman's 12-year tenure — which stands at 4,340 set in 2015 — as the Rainbow Wahine close out their next to last homestand of the season.
UH moved into sole possession of first place with a 59-47 win over Cal Poly on Thursday to open this week's homestand while UCSB rallied past UC San Diego 60-52 to remain a game behind the 'Bows.
| GAME 24: UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS (16-8, 10-4 BIG WEST) VS. HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (14-9, 11-3 BIG WEST) |
| Date | Time |
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location |
Honolulu, O'ahu — SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center |
| Television |
Spectrum Sports - Ch. 12 [SD] and 1012 [HD] |
| Live Stream |
ESPN+ (Blacked out in Hawai'i) |
| Radio |
ESPN Honolulu (1420-AM / 92.7-FM) |
| Live Stats |
HawaiiAthletics.com |
| Game Notes |
Hawaii | UC Santa Barbara |
| Tickets |
ETicketHawaii.com. $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens. Free for students ages 4 through high school. |
| Promotions |
• The highly anticipated "Beeman's Big Bash" will tip off Saturday night when doors open at 5:45 p.m. UH head coach Laura Beeman, the Rainbow Wahine, and the UH Athletics Department have their goals set on a new women's basketball attendance record. Beeman's record attendance at UH is set at 4,340, while the all-time record is 6,192.
• Working with Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke and her office, UH will host the 25th annual State Employees' Food Drive with Hawai'i Food Bank. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to drop off for donation.
• Raising Canes will be the game sponsor and will distribute 200 keychain lanyards inside Gate A. Before the game, Raising Canes will host the Fans in Da Stands, where several lucky fans will be lined up in the players' tunnel to greet them.
• UH head coach Laura Beeman will foot the bill for 500 students to receive a free hot dog and soda or water as they enter through Gate B. Students will also be recognized throughout the game with several dedicated t-shirt tosses and their rewards points will be doubled on the H Rewards app to win season prizes.
• DJ Wizzard will entertain fans throughout the evening as he'll provide music and fun for the entire arena as soon as gates open.
• Puka Tatupu, the lead singer of the City Boys, will perform the national anthem and Hawai'i Pono'i.
|
HEAD COACH LAURA BEEMANAt Hawai'i: 194-157 (12th season)
ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDHawaii leads 34-21
Last meeting — UC Santa Barbara 65, Hawai'i 53 (Jan. 25, 2024; Santa Barbara, Calif.)
TIPOFF
• UH and UC Santa Barbara meet for the second time this season. The Gauchos controlled throughout a 65-53 win on Jan. 25 at The Thunderdome led by Alexis Whitfield's 23 points and 19 rebounds. Olivia Davies led UH with 14 points.
• UH leads the all-time series with UCSB 34-21 and is 20-6 against the Gauchos in Honolulu. UCSB last won in Mānoa on March 4, 2020 (57-56).
• UH has won its last eight home games and is 7-0 in Big West games at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center this season.
• The 'Bows and Gauchos are 4-4 in their last eight meetings since 2021. They split their regular-season series last year before UH rallied from a 15-point deficit in a 61-59 win in the Big West Championship final in Henderson, Nev.
• UCSB features the Big West's highest scoring offense this season at 66 points per game. UH is second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 55.1 points per game.
• UCSB also leads the Big West and ranks 13th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 37.3%. Hawai'i is first in the conference and sixth in the country in 3-point percentage defense at 25.5%.
• UH guard MeiLani McBee opened the homestand by scoring a season-high 21 points in Thursday's 59-47 win over Cal Poly. She scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help UH pull away from the Mustangs. She hit two 3-pointers to move into fourth place in program history with 141 for her career.
• Guard Lily Wahinekapu leads UH with 10.7 points per game overall and 12.1 in Big West play. The junior has scored in double figures in 11 Big West games with at least nine points in all 14 games.
• Guard Daejah Phillips averages 9.6 points per game and has 990 for her career. She is seeking to become the 24th member of the program's 1,000-point club.
• Forward Imani Perez tied a career-high with 10 rebounds against Cal Poly. She also matched a season-high with four blocked shots and is tied for third in the Big West with 1.2 blocks per game. The sophomore leads the team with a .586 shooting percentage.
• UCSB rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit to defeat UC San Diego 60-52 at home on Thursday. Alexis Whitfield led the Gauchos with 19 points. Whitfield ranks third in the Big West with 14.4 points per game and is the conference's leading rebounder at 9.5 per game.
'BEEMAN'S BIG BASH' SET FOR SATURDAY
The Rainbow Wahine will take aim at the largest attendance figure of head coach
Laura Beeman's 12-year tenure when they host "Beeman's Big Bash" on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The 2014-15 Rainbow Wahine played their home finale before a Senior Night crowd of 4,340 on March 7, 2015 in Beeman's third year leading the program. This season's Rainbow Wahine squad will look to surpass that mark when they face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. The program's all-time record is 6,192 set in 1998. Gates open at 5:45 p.m.
'HAWAIIAN NIGHT' JERSEY AUCTION TO BENEFIT RAINBOW WAHINE
The Rainbow Wahine will also debut their "Hawaiian Night" jerseys for Saturday's game. The jerseys will be will be auctioned off to support the Hawai'i Athletics Scholarship Fund. The
virtual auction will commence at 6:00 p.m. on
Friday, February 16, and runs through 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 17.
#HawaiiWBB
