A youthful University of Hawaii women’s basketball team will be tested by a nonconference schedule featuring three games against Pac-12 opponents, including a trip to UCLA for a rematch of their NCAA tournament game last March.
Coming off the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance in 18 years, the Rainbow Wahine head into the 2016-17 season with one senior (guard Briana Harris) and one junior (guard Sarah Toeaina) on a roster that includes seven freshmen among nine newcomers.
They’ll make their Stan Sheriff Center debut in an exhibition game against Hawaii Hilo on Oct. 16 and open the regular season with the first of two trips to Los Angeles to face USC on Nov. 11. UH head coach Laura Beeman, associate coach Mary Wooley and assistant coach Alex Delanian worked in the USC program before coming to Hawaii.
After completing the season-opening road trip with a game at CSU Bakersfield, UH hosts tournaments in Manoa over the next two weekends.
The Wahine face Youngstown State and defending Western Athletic Conference champion New Mexico State in the Bank of Hawaii Classic set for Nov. 18-20. They’ll take on San Jose State, Oregon and Mississippi State in the Waikiki Beach Rainbow Wahine Showdown on Nov. 25-27.
Oregon advanced to the WNIT semifinals last season while Mississippi State reached the NCAA tournament’s round of 16.
The Wahine return to Los Angeles to take on UCLA on Dec. 4. The Wahine closed last season with a 66-50 loss to the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion after winning the Big West tournament title to earn their first NCAA tournament berth since 1998. UCLA, the Pac-12 runner up, eventually reached the Sweet 16.
After an exhibition against Hawaii Pacific, the Wahine visit two past Western Athletic Conference destinations with a road trip to Nevada (Dec. 18) and Boise State (Dec. 20). They close the nonconference schedule with a home game against Grand Canyon.
UH will play four of its first five Big West games in California, starting with a trip to Long Beach State on Jan. 5. The conference slate closes at home against the 49ers on March 4. The Big West tournament is scheduled for March 7-11 in Anaheim, Calif.
UH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2016-17 SCHEDULE
October
26—UH Hilo (exhibition)
November
11—at USC
13—at CSU Bakersfield
Bank of Hawaii Classic—18: Youngstown State. 20: New Mexico State.
Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown—25: San Jose State. 26: Oregon. 27: Mississippi State.
December
4—at UCLA
11—HPU (exhibition)
18—at Nevada
20—at Boise State
29—Grand Canyon
January
5—at Long Beach State*
7—at UC Davis*
12—Cal State Fullerton*
19—at Cal Poly*
21—at UC Santa Barbara*
26—UC Irvine*
28—Cal Poly*
February
2—at UC Riverside*
4—at Cal State Northridge*
8—UC Riverside*
11—UC Santa Barbara*
16—UC Davis*
18—Cal State Northridge*
23—at UC Irvine*
25—at Cal State Fullerton*
March
4—Long Beach State*
7-11—Big West Tournament at Anaheim, Calif.
*Big West Conference game
