Wahine hold out hope for WNIT bid | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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DARRELL MIHO / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
The Wahine's Sydney Haydel and Kalei Adolpho battle for a rebound against Cal State's Tailer Butler, Kathleen Iwuoha, Alex Thomas and Mya Olivier during a quarterfinal game of the Big West Tournament at the UC Irvine Bren Center.

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Hands came up one by one, until every Rainbow Wahine player held one high.

Hawaii coach Laura Beeman posed a question to her team shortly after the 66-51 loss to Cal State Fullerton in the Big West tournament second round on Wednesday.

Who wants to go to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament?

The response was unanimous — Hawaii isn’t calling it a season yet.

If only it were that simple, but it’s someone else’s call to make if UH gets its first postseason game since 2003.

The WNIT announces its 64-team field on Monday night. In the meantime, Beeman said Thursday that UH (17-13) will practice twice back in the islands over the weekend as though they will receive an invitation. The Wahine players flew home on Thursday night after their early exit.

"They’re starting to get their refocus and they know we’re going to practice and they know we have a goal to reach," Beeman said. "We’re moving forward."

Based on playing some strong nonconference competition, UH has a respectable RPI of 122. That would theoretically project the Wahine within the top 128 teams taken for the NCAA and WNIT, but there’s more to it than that. Teams that draw well become more appealing on the bubble.

"We’re holding out hope for the WNIT," UH athletic director Ben Jay said. "We haven’t talked beyond that (to events like the pay-for-play WBI)."

Beeman said: "Being 122, it gives us a shot, but it doesn’t give me a confident feeling. It’s a wait-and-see."

Wednesday’s upset loss also might have damaged that RPI.

"A loss to Fullerton, their RPI is horrible (282)," Beeman said. "That did not help us to lose twice to them and once to Irvine (254). Those are blows to RPI in the conference. That did not help us. … (But) if we sit at 122, then we should be in that 128 field."

Beeman has experience with the WNIT, having assisted on the 2011 USC team that made the event’s championship game.

In 2003, the last of four straight WNIT appearances for UH under Vince Goo, the team’s record was 16-13 — with a similarly difficult nonconference schedule — when it qualified for the field.

Today’s WNIT spreads out 31 automatic berths to the different Division I conferences. Either Pacific or Cal Poly, the top two seeds in the Big West tournament, would receive the Big West’s automatic berth to the WNIT. UH would be hoping for an at-large berth.

"I think we got a shot. But it’s really going to be nip and tuck," Beeman said.