LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team will make the its fourth straight postseason appearance when the Rainbow Wahine face UNLV in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament on Thursday, March 20 in Las Vegas. Tipoff at Cox Pavilion is set for 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time (3:30 p.m. Hawai'i Time).
 
The Rainbow Wahine (22-9) earned an automatic bid into the WBIT as the Big West regular-season champion and will compete in the event for the second consecutive year. UH remained in the Ninth Island following a loss in the semifinals of last week's Big West Championship, presented by Credit Union 1 in Henderson, Nev.
 
UNLV (25-7) won the Mountain West regular-season title for a fourth straight season and is a No. 2 seed in its quadrant of the 32-team WBIT bracket. Thursday's matchup renews the series between the former conference rivals in the Big West and Western Athletic Conference.
 

GAME 32: HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (22-9, 16-4 BIG WEST) at UNLV LADY REBELS (25-7, 16-2 MOUNTAIN WEST)
Date | Time				Thursday, March 20, 2025  |  6:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. HT)
Location				Cox Pavilion | Las Vegas, Nevada
Television				None
Live Stream				ESPN+
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (Dave Kawada)
Live Stats				statbroadcast.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i
WBIT Game Program				Click Here

  HEAD COACH LAURA BEEMANAt Hawai'i: 222-168 (13th season)

SERIES RECORD vs. UNLVOverall: UNLV leads 34-16
Last Meeting: UNLV 76, UH 66; Dec. 11, 2022; Honolulu

'BOWS IN THE POSTSEASONUH will make its fourth straight postseason tournament appearance, ninth under head coach Laura Beeman, and 20^th overall with this season's berth in the WBIT. The Rainbow Wahine have made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, 10 in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, and two in the WBIT.

• The current four-year streak of postseason appearances matches the longest in program history (2000-03, 2013-16).
• Under Beeman, UH has played in the NCAA Tournament three times, the WNIT four times and the WBIT twice.
• UH is 6-21 in postseason play overall and last won a postseason game in 2001 when the 'Bows went 3-1 in the WNIT and advanced to the semifinals.
• The 'Bows closed last season with a loss to California in the first round of the inaugural WBIT.

BIG WEST RECAPThe Rainbow Wahine went 16-4 in the Big West regular season to capture the conference's regular-season championship for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years.

• The Big West regular-season title is the fourth in Laura Beeman's 13-year career as UH head coach.
• UH started the Big West schedule at 0-2 then ran off 14 consecutive wins in the program's longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season. The run was tied for the sixth longest in program history.
• UH fell to UC San Diego 51-49 in the semifinals of the Big West Championship presented by Credit Union 1 on March 14 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev. The Rainbow Wahine erased a 27-point deficit before falling on a last-second layup.
• The Rainbow Wahine claimed three of the Big West's major awards and a total of four members of the program received recognition on the 2024-25 all-conference teams. Senior guard Lily Wahinekapu joined elite company as just the third Rainbow Wahine to be named Big West Player of the Year and was named to the All-Big West first team. Center Ritorya Tamilo became the fourth UH player and first since 1995 to be named Big West Freshman of the Year. Imani Perez was named to the All-Big West second team and All-Defensive Team. Laura Beeman was voted Coach of the Year for the third time in the last four years.

DEFENSIVE MINDED

• The Rainbow Wahine enter the postseason leading the nation in 3-point percentage defense (24.76%) and ranked second among NCAA Division I teams in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 33.3% shooting from the field.
• UH ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense (52.8 points per game allowed).
• The 'Bows also lead the Big West and rank 33rd nationally in blocked shots per game (4.4).
• UH has held opponents under 50 points 14 times this season. The 'Bows run of six consecutive sub-50 point performances (Jan. 9-25) marked a program record.
• UH has held 24 opponents under 40% shooting, including 11 games under 30%, and is 21-3 in those contests.

'BOWS NOTES

• Lily Wahinekapu  leads the team with 11.2 points per game, 77 assists and 35 steals. The senior became the 25^th member of the program's 1,000-point club in UH's win at Long Beach State on Feb. 13. She has a total of 1,523 total points, including her freshman year at Cal State Fullerton (2021-22), with 1,096 coming at UH.
• MeiLani McBee became the program's all-time leader in 3-point goals in the regular-season finale. The senior passed the previous record of 205 set by Amy Atwell in 2022 and now has 208 for her career. The senior has also played in a program-record 139 games in her career, including the last 122 in a row.
• Senior guard Kelsie Imai is now tied for fifth in program history with 317 career assists, matching the total of Ayesha Brooks (1987-90).
• Center Ritorya Tamilo leads the team with 39 blocked shots this season, breaking the previous UH freshman record of 33 held by Jeanne Wade since 1984. Overall, Tamilo's blocked shots total is the highest in a single season since Shawna-Lei Kuehu had 41 in the 2014-15 season.
• Imani Perez has anchored UH's defensive efforts while averaging 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She has 30 blocks this season and moved up to 10^th in program history with 77 for her career.
• 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 222 over her 13 seasons leading the Rainbow Wahine.  

THE MATCHUP

• The Rainbow Wahine and Lady Rebels meet for the 51st time in a series that began on Jan. 1, 1976.
• UNLV has won the last two meetings, the last coming on Dec. 11, 2022 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
• UH last defeated UNLV on Dec. 19, 2018, 66-61 in overtime in Las Vegas.
• UH is 4-17 against UNLV in Las Vegas.
• UH and UNLV were conference rivals in the Big West (PCAA) from the 1985-86 to 1995-96 seasons and in the Western Athletic Conference from 1996-97 to 1998-99.
• UNLV head coach Lindy La Rocque is in her fifth season and has a career record of 127-29. She was named Mountain West Coach of the Year for the third time this season.
• UNLV went 16-2 in conference play to earn its fourth consecutive Mountain West regular-season title. The Rebels fell to San Diego State in the semifinals of the Mountain West Championship on March 11 in Las Vegas.
• Meadow Roland earned the MW Sixth Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards. The 6-foot-2 forward averages 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
• Kiara Jackson and Amarachi Kimpson were named to the All-Mountain West Team. Kimpson leads UNLV with 14.2 points per game on 50.8% shooting from the field. Jackson averages 12.6 ppg, ranks second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.67), and leads the MW with 158 total assists.