NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team clinched a share of the Big West regular-season title and the top seed in next week's Big West Championship with a 65-62 win over CSUN on Thursday in Northridge, Calif.
 
MeiLani McBee hit a season-high five 3-pointers and led four UH players in double figures with 18 points. Lily Wahinekapu finished with 16 points including a key bucket in the final minute to help protect a tenuous lead. Brooklyn Rewers added 10 points and tied her career high with 12 rebounds in her second double-double of the season. Jacque David also finished with 10 points and hit two 3-pointers.
 
UH (19-9, 16-3 Big West) entered the game having already secured a top-two seed and a double-bye in the Big West Championship in Henderson, Nev. As the No. 1 seed in the bracket, the two-time defending champion Rainbow Wahine will play in the first semifinal on March 15 at noon Pacific Time (9 a.m. Hawai'i time) at the Dollar Loan Center.

"I'm incredibly proud of this group, and how they've overcome adversity and put themselves in position to be the No. 1 seed and try to go do this thing again," UH head coach Laura Beeman said.
 
UH remained one game ahead of UC Irvine (20-8, 15-4) with one game remaining in the regular season. The 'Bows swept both meetings with the Anteaters this season to earn the tiebreaker edge. 

The regular-season title is UH's second in the last three years, the third under Beeman and sixth overall (five in the Big West and one in the Western Athletic Conference).
 
The 'Bows won back-to-back Big West regular-season titles in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons and captured a division title in the WAC in 1997-98. They claimed their first during Beeman's tenure in 2014-15 and another in 2021-22.

CSUN certainly made the 'Bows earn this one before closing its season at 3-26 (1-19 Big West). UH led by 11 points in the third quarter and 10 with 7:52 left in the fourth, but the Matadors stayed within striking distance and closed to within a point twice in the final minute. UH managed to protect the lead both times and held a two-point cushion when a CSUN jumper bounced off the rim with 4 seconds left. Daejah Phillips secured the rebound and hit one of two free throws and CSUN couldn't get a desperation shot away to close out UH's sixth straight victory.
 
The Matadors started 6 for 8 from the field and led 18-9 before UH freshman Jade Peacock, who made her second start of the season, hit a corner 3-pointer to trigger a 10-0 UH run to close the quarter.  Wahinekapu hit another three-pointer in the run and Rewers gave UH the lead with a putback of her own miss.
 
The 'Bows made it a 20-2 extended run when David and McBee connected from outside to stretch the lead to 29-20. The duo both went 2 for 3 from long range in the first half and Rewers went into halftime with eight points and six rebounds to help UH take a 36-29 lead into the break.
 
McBee opened the third quarter with her third three-pointer and UH opened up a 44-33 cushion before CSUN closed to 47-42 at the 2:32 mark of the quarter.
 
The Matadors cut the lead to two early in the fourth quarter, but McBee knocked down two more three-pointers, giving her a season-high five, and David's layup extended the UH lead back to double-digits at 57-47.
 
CSUN made another charge to close to 57-54 with just under four minutes left in regulation. Rewers scored on a putback to secure her double-double and Wahinekapu scored on a driving floater. The Matadors kept the pressure on and again made it a three-point game with a rebound and putback.
 
Kaitlyn Elsholz came up the a steal and was fouled and hit two free throws to cut UH's lead to 61-60 with just under a minute remaining. Wahinekapu answered by banking in a shot in the lane with 32 seconds left but Erica Adams responded with a jumper with 17 seconds left. McBee made one of two free throws and CSUN called a timeout trailing 64-62 with 11 seconds remaining. Adams' jumper came up empty and Phillips' rebound and free throw all but closed out the victory.

Talo Li-Uperesa led CSUN with 18 points and Elsholz finished with 14. 
 
The Rainbow Wahine close the regular season by taking on CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific Time (noon Hawai'i time).