HONOLULU — Having secured a share of the Big West regular-season title, the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team will look to claim the crown outright when the Rainbow Wahine face CSUN on Show'UHM Your Aloha Senior Night on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (21-8, 15-4 Big West) claimed their third regular-season title in the last four years and clinched the No. 1 seed in the Hercules Tires Big West Championships, presented by Credit Union 1 with a 66-51 win over CSU Bakersfield on Thursday to open the final homestand of the season.
 
They'll take on CSUN (4-24, 2-17) in the regular season finale and will celebrate the careers of six seniors — Hallie Birdsong, Kelsie Imai, MeiLani McBee, Brooklyn Rewers, Mia 'Uhila and Lily Wahinekapu — following the game.
 

GAME 30: HAWAI'I RAINBOW WAHINE (21-8, 15-4 BIG WEST) vs. CSUN MATADORS (4-24, 2-17 BIG WEST)
Date | Time				Saturday, March 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				ESPN Honolulu
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | CSUN
Promotions				Show'UHM Your Aloha Senior Night • We say Aloha and Mahalo to six seniors who have accomplished many historic feats while representing our state and the Rainbow Wahine program. We partner with University of Hawai'i Federal Credit Union to send our seniors off the only way we know how, with leis, tears, and laughs. All fans are encouraged to wear their favorite aloha shirt in honor of the graduating seniors.

  HEAD COACH LAURA BEEMANAt Hawai'i: 221-167 (13th season)

SERIES RECORD vs. CSUNOverall: Hawai'i leads 18-11
Last meeting: UH 75, CSUN 47; Jan. 16, 2025; Northridge, Calif.

BACK ON TOPThe Rainbow Wahine will enter the Big West Championship as the No. 1 seed for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years. The 'Bows can claim the regular season title outright with a win over CSUN or a UC Irvine loss on Saturday. UH earned the tiebreaker with UC Irvine by sweeping the regular-season series with the Anteaters.

• UH will have a double-bye into the semifinal round set for March 14 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev. The 'Bows will play in the first semifinal at noon Pacific Time (9 a.m. Hawai'i Time).
• The Big West regular-season title is the seventh in program history and fourth in Laura Beeman's career as UH head coach.

ALOHA SENIORSSaturday's game will mark the final home appearance for six Rainbow Wahine seniors, and family has been at the core of their careers in Mānoa.

• Guards MeiLani McBee and Kelsie Imai are the longest tenured members of the program and have played in more games than anyone in program history. McBee continues to add to the program record for games played with Imai in second.
• McBee and Imai have been part of three Big West regular-season titles, two conference tournament championships and three postseason tournament appearances (two NCAA, WBIT). The 'Bows are 88-52 (.628) overall and 65-23 (.739) in Big West play in their five-year careers.
• 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.
• 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 exceed 1,000 points in a UH career.
• 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, earning a scholarship last year 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 on Maui then moved to Alaska but still has strong family roots in Lahaina.

DEFENSIVE MINDED

• The Rainbow Wahine enter the weekend ranked third among NCAA Division I teams in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 33.5% shooting from the field.
• UH ranks second in the nation in 3-point percentage defense (25.3%) and eighth in scoring defense (53.4 points per game allowed).
• The 'Bows also lead the Big West and rank 26th nationally in blocked shots per game (4.6).
• UH has held 10 of its last 16 opponents under 50 points. The 'Bows run of six consecutive sub-50 point performances (Jan. 9-25) marked a program record.

'BOWS NOTES

• Lily Wahinekapu continues to lead the team with 10.9 points per game, 69 assists and 33 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 1,493 total points, including her freshman year at Cal State Fullerton (2021-22), with 1,066 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 137 games in her career, including the last 120 in a row.
• Senior guard Kelsie Imai has averaged 8.7 points over the last 10 games and twice tied her career high with 12 points against UC Irvine and CSU Bakersfield. She now ranks sixth in program history with 313 assists and is four away from catching Ayesha Brooks for fifth.
• Center Ritorya Tamilo leads the team with 37 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 9.1 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. 
• 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 221 over her 13 seasons leading the Rainbow Wahine.

 

THE MATCHUP

• The Rainbow Wahine and Matadors meet for the 30th time in a series that began on Jan. 3, 1983, a 74-66 UH victory at the Coors Golden Gate Invitational in San Francisco, Calif.
• UH has won the last eight meetings, starting on Feb. 13, 2020 (70-66 in Honoulu).
• UH won this season's first meeting 75-47 in Northridge, Calif. Imani Perez scored a season-high 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field. Lily Wahinekapu added 15 points to UH's highest scoring total of the season.
• CSUN last defeated UH on Jan. 9, 2020, 58-54 in Northridge, Calif.
• UH is 9-3 against CSUN in Honolulu and won last year's meeting at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center 67-38.
• Angie Ned is in her first season as the Matadors' head coach.
• CSUN forward Nnenna Orji played three seasons at UH and was a part of two Big West championship teams. She averages 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season.
• Orji scored a career-high 22 points in a 77-74 overtime loss to UC Riverside on Thursday in Northridge. Orji shot 10 for 16 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds.
• Guard Erika Aspajo averages a team-high 9.7 points per game followed by guard Morgan Edwards' 9.2 points per game.

 

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