HONOLULU — In a down-to-the wire finish, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team pulled off a thrilling 55-51 win over Loyola Marymount to open the Bank of Hawai'i Classic on Friday at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

Bailey Flavell hit the go-ahead bucket on a driving layup with 20 seconds left to lift UH to 3-0 on the season — its first such start in a decade — and the 800th victory since the program began playing collegiate competition in 1974. The freshman guard finished with nine points and a game-high four assists. 

Saniyah Neverson led UH with 10 points, including a key three-pointer in the fourth quarter as UH erased a five-point deficit and had the final say in a back-and-forth ending. 

With close to 1,200 elementary school students providing a high-decibel atmosphere in the  arena for the Education Day game, the Rainbow Wahine again relied on its signature defense to secure the win. The 'Bows held the Lions (1-3) to just 33 percent shooting for the game, highlighted by two defensive stops in the final 20 seconds to secure the victory. 
 
The 'Bows took a 7-1 lead when Danijela Kujovic banked in a 3-pointer from the top and held the Lions without a field goal until the 4:04 mark of the first quarter. LMU battled back with a 9-2 run to move ahead and led 10-9 lead at the end of the first period.
 
Flavell hit a 3-pointer to start the second quarter to give UH the lead and Kyra Webb went on a personal 6-0 run to push the margin to 18-12. The 'Bows opened up their biggest lead of the half at 27-20 when center Ritorya Tamilo, who made her season debut,  dropped in a layup for her first bucket of her sophomore year. Tamilo swatted her first block of the season in the final seconds but LMU retained possession and hit a 3-pointer before the buzzer as UH went into the locker room with a 27-23 edge.
 
UH started 0-for-8 from the field to start the third quarter and LMU moved ahead 31-29 when Carly Heidger hit a 3-pointer while drawing a foul. Kyra Webb broke the UH scoring drought with a bucket in the paint and UH's ball movement led to a Kira-May Filemu 3-pointer to give UH a 34-31 lead. 

Two LMU free throws cut the lead to one to end the third quarter and the Lions  scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to take a 39-34 lead. UH stayed close with four free throws and Curtis pushed the 'Bows ahead 43-41 when she splashed a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock. 
 

Clutch Curty!! 💦#GoBows #SISTAHHOOD pic.twitter.com/DZa8USozVu

— Hawai'i Women's Basketball (@HawaiiWBB) November 21, 2025

LMU tied it at 45-45 with a 3-pointer but Neverson answered with a three of her own to give UH the lead back at the 2:30 mark. The teams continued to trade blows over the next two minutes and the Lions tied the game on a Maya Hernandez bucket in the paint with 38 seconds left.

Flavell answered with the go-ahead bucket on UH's next possession, then the UH defense held on as LMU missed three shots in its final two possessions, including  a pair of three-pointers that fell off the mark. 

UH shot 6-of-14 from three-point territory and committed just 12 turnovers against LMU a little more than a week after a narrow win over Saint Martin's that saw the Rainbow Wahine struggle with their ball-handling and long-distance shooting.   
 
The Bank of Hawai'i Classic concludes Sunday with the Rainbow Wahine facing Portland in the tournament finale at 2:30 p.m.