NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — University of Hawai'i forward
Imani Perez scored a season-high 19 points and the Rainbow Wahine basketball team extended its winning streak to four with a 75-47 victory over CSUN on Thursday at Premier America Credit Union Arena in Northridge, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine (10-6, 4-2 Big West) hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter then broke away from the host Matadors (3-13, 1-6) in the second quarter on their way to their highest scoring performance of the season.
The rout gave head coach
Laura Beeman her 600
th career victory, spanning her time at Mt. San Antonio College (390) and UH (210).
Perez shot 7 for 9 from the field, including two 3-pointers, to lead four UH players in double figures and filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.
Lily Wahinekapu hit three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points and three assists without a turnover.
Brooklyn Rewers also contributed 13 points and
Ritorya Tamilo added 11 points, two blocks and three steals. Guard Mia 'Uhlia delivered an all-around performance off the bench with eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists, tying her career high.
Leading 19-14 after the first quarter, the Rainbow Wahine shot 10 for 18 from the field and outscored CSUN 26-10 in the second in their most productive period of the season. They went into halftime with a 45-24 cushion and led by as many as 30 in the fourth quarter on their way to their eighth straight win in the series with the Matadors.
UH shot 43.5% from the field with nine 3-pointers, went 12 for 13 from the free-throw line, and set a season high with 18 assists.
On the defensive end, the 'Bows held an opponent under 50 points for the third straight game and limited CSUN to 27.6% shooting from the field. The 'Bows improved to 10-2 when holding teams under 40% shooting this season and kept a team under 30% for the fifth time.
UH jumped out to a 16-4 lead with post players Perez, Tamilo and Rewers all stepping outside to hit 3-pointers. Tamilo's triple was the first of her UH career and the 'Bows shot 46.7% from the field as a team in the first 10 minutes.
Wahinekapu opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and Perez added another to extend the UH lead to 27-14. UH closed the half with a 12-0 run with Wahinekapu and Perez contributing five points each in the burst.
UH's shooting cooled off in the third but the 'Bows remained in command through the final buzzer with senior guard
Hallie Birdsong draining her first career 3-pointer at the 3:07 mark of the fourth quarter to the delight of her teammates on the bench behind her.
The Rainbow Wahine road trip continues on to Bakersfield, Calif., where they'll take on CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at the Icardo Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. Pacific Time (noon Hawai'i time).
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