HENDERSON, Nev. — The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team's bid for glory in its final Big West season fell short with a 60-48 loss to UC San Diego in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Basketball Championship title game Saturday afternoon at Lee's Family Forum.

The Tritons overcame a double-digit second-half deficit and used a key 18-6 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to repeat as Big West champs. Erin Condron led UCSD with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Tournament MVP Makayla Rose pitched in 17 points, seven rebounds and five steals to pace UCSD.

Big West Freshman of the Year Bailey Flavell led a balanced UH attack with 13 points and five rebounds. Jovi Lefotu scored nine points while Saniyah Neverson chipped in eight points and a team-high six rebounds. 

The outcome ended a remarkable run for the fourth-seeded Rainbow Wahine (22-11), who started the conference season at 0-5 before reeling off 16 wins over the next 17 games, including back-to-back overtime victories the previous two days in the tournament quarterfinals and semifinals to come within a game of the title and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Ultimately UH – winners of 10 straight entering the game – couldn't get past the second-seeded and defending champion Tritons (24-8), who were the only Big West team to sweep the regular-season series with UH and handed the 'Bows their lone loss in the previous 17 games. 

The 'Bows led by eight points at the break and by as many as 11 early in the second half, but the Tritons rebounded from a tough-shooting first half to connect on 50 percent of their shots in the second. UH shot just 32 percent in the second half. 

After a ragged start for both teams, a block by Neverson led to a layup for Flavell and Keiara Curtis drained a high arcing 3-pointer to give UH a 13-6 lead. UCSD answered with a 3-pointer and the 'Bows led by four after the first 10 minutes. After spotting UCSD the first four points of the game, UH held the Tritons scoreless for a near six-minute stretch and just 4-of-19 shooting in the first quarter.

It was a 17-16 game midway through the second quarter before UH went on a 9-0 surge. Ritorya Tamilo scored five of points in the run, capped by a three-pointer to give UH its first double-digit lead of the game, 26-16. The 'Bows eventually took a 28-20 lead into the locker room. UH held UCSD to just 23 percent shooting in the first half while also getting another strong outing from its bench with 15 points. 

UH extended its lead to 32-21 on a Neverson layup early in the third quarter, but UCSD rattled off 11 straight points to tie the game 32-32 with less than four minutes left in the quarter. Tamilo ended UH's near five-minute drought with a bucket inside as UH re-gained the lead, but UCSD scored eight of the 11 points of the quarter to take a 40-37 lead heading into the final frame.

UCSD took that momentum into the fourth quarter, doubling up UH 12-6 in the first five minutes. Condron's layup inside at the 5:07 mark put the Tritons up 52-43 with 5:07 left and UH would get no closer than seven thereafter.