HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team returns to SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center with an opportunity to secure the program's second straight Big West regular-season title in the final homestand of the 2024-25 campaign.
 
The Rainbow Wahine open the final week of the conference schedule by taking on CSU Bakersfield on Thursday, March 6 and face CSUN on Saturday, March 8 for Senior Night. Despite dropping both games of last week's road trip to UC Riverside and UC Davis to halt a 14-game winning streak, UH enters the week with a one-game lead over UC Irvine in the Big West race and can lock up the top seed in the Big West Championship with one more win.
 

GAME 29: HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (20-8, 14-4 BIG WEST) vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (2-27, 2-17, 10-5 BIG WEST)
Date | Time				Thursday, March 6, 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				ESPN Honolulu
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | CSU Bakersfield

  HEAD COACH LAURA BEEMANAt Hawai'i: 220-167 (13th season)

SERIES RECORD vs. CSU BAKERSFIELDOverall: Hawai'i leads 13-5
Last meeting: UH 66, CSUB 37, Jan. 18, 2025; Bakersfield, Calif.

ALOHA SENIORSThis week's homestand will mark the final two appearances at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center for six Rainbow Wahine seniors and family has been at the core of their careers in Mānoa.

• Guards MeiLani McBee and Kelsie Imai are in their fifth years with the Rainbow Wahine and rank first and second in program history in games played. McBee continues to add to the program record with Imai just behind.
• Imai, a former Waiākea High School standout, had a homecoming in the preseason when the Rainbow Wahine visited the Big Island for an exhibition game against UH-Hilo, giving her another chance to play in front of family and friends.
• McBee has family in the islands and her aunt, Tondi Redden, was a member of the 1986-90 Rainbow Wahine teams that helped elevate the program's national profile.
• Guard Lily Wahinekapu transferred to UH prior to her sophomore year, fulfilling a longtime goal of playing college basketball with her sister, Jovi Lefotu. She recently became the 25^th player to surpass 1,000 points at UH.
• Center Brooklyn Rewers also had family ties to UH prior to transferring from Michigan State last season. Her sister, Lauren, played for the Rainbow Wahine from 2018-20.
• Guard Hallie Birdsong, whose father was a prolific UH running back, has been among the 'Bows' most inspiring players in her four-year career after joining the program as a walk-on from Kalani High School.
• Guard Mia 'Uhila transferred to UH for her senior year after three seasons at Portland State. She grew up in Alaska but has strong family roots in Lahaina, Maui.

DEFENSIVE MINDED

• The Rainbow Wahine enter the week ranked third among NCAA Division I teams in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 33.3% shooting from the field.
• UH ranks second in the nation in 3-point percentage defense (25.5%) and seventh in scoring defense (53.5 points per game allowed).
• The 'Bows also lead the Big West and rank 22^nd nationally in blocked shots per game (4.7).
• UH has held 10 of its last 15 opponents under 50 points. The 'Bows run of six consecutive sub-50 point performances (Jan. 9-25) marked a program record.
• UH has held 22 opponents under 40% shooting, including 10 games under 30%, and is 20-2 in those contests.

'BOWS NOTES

• Lily Wahinekapu continues to lead the team with 10.9 points per game, 68 assists and 32 steals. She has a total of 1,482 total points, including her freshman year at Cal State Fullerton (2021-22), with 1,055 coming at UH.
• MeiLani McBee is one 3-pointer away from tying the UH career record of 205 held by Amy Atwell. The senior has played in a program-record 136 games in her career, including the last 119 in a row.
• Kelsie Imai has averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 assists per game over the last nine games. She now ranks sixth in program history with 312 assists and is five away from catching Ayesha Brooks for fifth.
• Center Ritorya Tamilo leads the team with 36 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 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in Big West play. She has 29 blocks this season and moved up to 10^th in program history with 76 for her career. She set a career high with four 3-pointers against UC Riverside last Thursday.
• UH head coach Laura Beeman earned the 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 220 over her 13 seasons leading the Rainbow Wahine. 

 

THE MATCHUP

• The Rainbow Wahine and Roadrunners meet for the 19th time in a series that began on Nov. 21, 2009, a 105-75 CSUB win. The game remains the last time a UH opponent scored 100-plus points.
• UH won the season's first meeting with CSU Bakersfield 66-37 on Jan. 18 in Bakersfield, Calif. Brooklyn Rewers led the 'Bows with 15 points and three blocks and Imani Perez added 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting.
• UH has won the last 10 meetings with CSUB, starting with an 81-67 win on March 10, 2021 in the quarterfinals of the Big West Championship in Las Vegas.
• CSUB last defeated UH on Jan. 16, 2021, 51-43 in Bakersfield.
• UH is 6-0 against CSUB in Honolulu and won last year's meeting 67-43.
• Thursday's game will close Ari Wideman's first season as the Roadrunners' head coach. Wideman played at Nevada from 2010-14 and competed against UH when both schools were members of the Western Athletic Conference.
• Senior forward Ary Dizon leads the Big West and ranks 12th in NCAA Division I with 67 blocked shots. Her average of 2.31 blocks per game ranks 15^th nationally. Dizon also leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per game.
• Dizon leads the Roadrunners offensively as well with 9.7 points per game on .400 shooting from the field. Freshman guard Caitie Gingras is next with 6.6 points per game.
• Guard Alli Dioli leads CSUB with 41 3-pointers.
• CSUB assistant coach Fa-Ko-Fiame'a Hafoka-Latu is a 2016 graduate of Lahainaluna High School.

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