HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team secured sole possession of the Big West regular-season championship with a rousing 62-36 Senior Night victory over CSUN on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine (22-8, 16-4 Big West) had secured the top seed in the Hercules Tires Big West Championship, presented by Credit Union 1 on Thursday and claimed the regular season title outright with Saturday's win over the Matadors (4-25, 2-18).
In the win,
MeiLani McBee made history in the second half with two 3-pointers to raiser her career total to 206 to catch and pass Amy Atwell for the program's all-time record. She hit the tying shot in the third quarter and made the record her own in the fourth.
As the No. 1 seed, UH earned a double bye into the semifinals of the Hercules Tires Big West Championship, presented by Credit Union 1 and will next play on Friday, March 14 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev.
UH's senior class powered the 'Bows to the win in its final appearance at SImpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center before being honored in an emotional postgame ceremony before a crowd of 3,579, the second largest attendance figure of the season.
Lily Wahinekapu poured in a game-high 18 points,
Kelsie Imai added nine points, seven rebounds and three assists and all six seniors contributed to the scoring, including McBee's magical moment in the fourth period.
Brooklyn Rewers set a career high with 13 rebounds to go along with seven points.
Mia 'Uhila hit two 3-pointers in the first half to help set the tone and
Hallie Birdsong punctuated the night with a bucket in the fourth quarter.
Seniors accounted for 25 of the team's 27 points in the first half and the 'Bows built a 15-point lead at the break. They continued to pull away in the second to set the stage for the senior festivities.
CSUN scored on its first possession then missed its next 15 from the field and UH outscored the Matadors 15-2 over the remainder of the quarter. 'Uhila hit a 3-pointer late in the first quarter then drained another early in the second to stretch the UH lead to 20-6 and prompt a CSUN timeout.
UH's scoring slowed from there until Rewers scored inside then knocked down a 3-pointer to send the 'Bows into the locker room with a 27-12 lead.
A Wahinekapu 3-pointer pushed the lead 34-16 and the remaining drama centered on McBee's quest for the 3-point record. McBee drained her 205
th 3-pointer at the 1:06 mark of the third quarter to tie Atwell. She made the record her own when she took a pass from Wahinekapu and nailed No. 206.
Wahinekapu's final assist of the night went to Birdsong, one of the team's inspirational leaders as a walk on, who hit a short jumper to thrill the crowd. The seniors were subbed out as a group in the final minute to a rousing ovation.
Nnenna Orji, who spent her first three collegiate seasons at UH, led CSUN with 15 points in her final game.
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