The Hawaii women’s basketball team could not prevail in Laura Beeman’s return to USC, falling 66-55 to the Trojans at the Galen Center on Saturday afternoon.

UH (6-5) failed to protect a 10-point halftime lead. The Trojans went inside successfully in the second half and earned numerous trips to the free-throw line.

USC went on a 17-4 run to open the second half and the Rainbow Wahine had no rebuttal.

The Trojans (6-5) extended their lead to eight with 2:56 remaining. Destiny King hit two foul shots with 2:30 to play to get it back to six but that was as close as it would get late.

UH was led by junior wing Ashleigh Karaitiana, who had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Beeman was a USC assistant for two seasons before becoming the UH head coach in 2012.

The Wahine fell to 1-3 against Pac-12 teams this season, including 0-3 on the road.

UH continues play at Grand Canyon (9-2) in Phoenix on Monday.