HONOLULU — Now riding a 10-game winning streak, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team will face the last team to defeat the Rainbow Wahine in Saturday's Big West matchup with UC Santa Barbara. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
After running away from Cal Poly in a 67-43 win on Thursday, the Rainbow Wahine (16-6, 10-2 Big West) enter Saturday's play alone atop the Big West standings, a half-game ahead of UC Irvine for first place.
 
The 'Bows started their winning streak, the program's longest since 2015, two days after a 72-62 loss to UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 2 at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Gauchos have won their last three and have the second longest win streak in the Big West.
 

GAME 23: HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (16-6, 10-2 BIG WEST) vs. UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS (13-9, 7-5 BIG WEST)
Date | Time				Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025  |  7:00 p.m. HT
Location				SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Television				Spectrum Sports - Ch. 12 [SD] and 1012 [HD]
Live Stream				ESPN+ (Blacked out in Hawai'i)
Radio				CBS 1500
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | UC Santa Barbara
Promotions				Black History Month/Queen B Celebration • Celebrate the history of Black Americans and their incredible impact on our islands while we play all the hits of music icon Beyonce.

  HEAD COACH LAURA BEEMANAt Hawai'i: 216-165 (13th season)

SERIES RECORD vs. UC SANTA BARBARAOverall: UH leads 35-22
Last meeting: UC Santa Barbara 72, UH 62; Jan. 2, 2025; Santa Barbara, Calif.

STACKING WINS

• UH's current winning streak is the longest active run in the Big West. UH last won 10 games in a row during a 15-game run in the 2014-15 season.
• The 'Bows now own the 10^th double-digit winning streak in program history.
• As of Thursday, UH was among 18 NCAA Division I teams with active winning streaks of 10-plus games.
• UH is holding opponents to an average of 46.6 points per game on 31.3% shooting during the winning streak. 
• UH has controlled the boards over the last 10 games with a plus-9.8 rebounding margin. The 'Bows are 13-0 when outrebounding their opponents this season.
• The 'Bows are shooting 39.5% from the field and have a 14.0-point scoring margin per game during their winning streak.

TOUGH ON D

• After holding Cal Poly to 43 points on 27.1% shooting on Thursday, the 'Bows rose to second in the nation in scoring defense at 52.4 points allowed per game and third in field-goal percentage defense at 33.4% for the season.
• UH also climbed to 22^nd nationally in 3-point percentage defense at 26.2%
• UH has held eight of its last nine opponents under 50 points. The 'Bows run of six consecutive sub-50 point performances (Jan. 9-25) marked a program record.
• UH has held 18 opponents under 40% shooting, including eight games under 30%, and is 16-2 in those contests.
• The 'Bows have limited Big West opponents to 50.9 points per game on 32.6% shooting.
• The 'Bows remain atop the Big West and rank 19th nationally in blocks per game (4.9). Three UH players rank in the top 10 in the Big West in blocks per game — Ritorya Tamilo (fourth, 1.33 bpg), Imani Perez (eighth, 1.05) and Brooklyn Rewers (10th, 1.00). Perez joined the program's career top 10 on Thursday with her 68^th block.

'BOWS NOTES

• Lily Wahinekapu continues to lead the team with 10.8 points per game, 58 assists and 28 steals. The senior is 12 points away from reaching 1,000 in her UH career. She has a total of 1,415 points  including her freshman year at Cal State Fullerton (2021-22).
• Wahinekapu missed a game for the first time this season and the second time in her UH career on Thursday (illness), ending a string of 50 consecutive game appearances. She's started 83 of UH's 86 games since joining the program as a sophomore in the 2022-23 season.
• Jovi Lefotu helped UH overcome her sister's absence with a career-high 15 points against Cal Poly on Thursday. She went 4-for-5 from the field and 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.
• Senior guard Kelsie Imai made her second start of the season on Thursday and ranks eighth in program history with 297 career assists. She is also tied for second in games played with 126.
• Imani Perez has averaged a team-high 11 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while playing 30.6 minutes per game over the last eight contests and is shooting 55.7% from the field over that span.
• MeiLani McBee has 192 3-pointers for her career and is 13 away from the program's record held by Amy Atwell. The senior has played in 130 games in her career, including the last 113 in a row, and moved past Atwell (2016-22) as the program's all-time leader on Jan. 25 against UC Irvine.
• Center Ritorya Tamilo posted the first double-double of her career with 11 points and 11 rebounds against UC Irvine on Jan. 25. The freshman is third on the team with 8.0 points per game and is shooting a team-high 50.9% from the field. She also leads the team with 28 blocked shots.
• Brooklyn Rewers has provided a boost off the bench by scoring in double figures in 10 of the last 14 games. She is averaging 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in Big West play. Rewers and Tamilo are tied for the team lead with 107 rebounds.
• Mia 'Uhila has started the last four games and had 11 points, one shy of her season high, against Cal Poly on Thursday.
• UH head coach Laura Beeman earned her 600^th win of her career on Jan. 16 at CSUN. She posted 390 wins at Mt. San Antonio College (1994-2010) and now has 216 over her 13 seasons leading the Rainbow Wahine.

 
THE MATCHUP

• The Rainbow Wahine and Gauchos meet for the 58th time in a series that began on Jan. 4, 1981, a 55-49 UCSB win in Chico, Calif.
• The 'Bows and Gauchos are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings since 2021 and the home team has won the last eight regular-season meetings.
• UH is 21-6 against the Gauchos in Honolulu. UCSB last won in Mānoa on March 4, 2020 (57-56).
• The Gauchos won this season's first meeting 72-62 on Jan. 2 at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, Calif. Cayla Williams scored 14 points to lead five Gauchos in double figures. Lily Wahinekapu led UH with 17 points.
• Renee Jimenez is in her first season as UCSB head coach. She was previously the head coach at Cal State San Marcos for eight seasons.
• UCSB enters Saturday's play fifth in the Big West following a 51-40 home win over Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday. Zoe Borter led the Gauchos with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting
• The Gauchos lead the nation in free-throw percentage at 82.3%. They rank 31^st nationally with 14.59 free throws made per game
• Guard Alyssa Marin is tied for second in the Big West in scoring with 14.5 points per game
• Marin leads the Big West and ranks fifth nationally with 146 free throws and is seventh nationally with 166 free throw attempts. She's shooting 88% from the line.
• Jessica Grant ranks second in the Big West with 2.32 3-pointers per game and in 3-point percentage at 40.5%
• Skylar Burke was named the Big West Player of the Week on Monday and had nine points and 12 rebounds against CSUB on Thursday.

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