If experience is indeed the greatest teacher, two Hawaii freshmen went through advanced level courses last weekend.

While it might be understandable for newcomers to be a bit skittish when facing the likes of Stanford and North Carolina, Sarah Toeaina and Dalayna Sampton produced for the Rainbow Wahine basketball team when called upon.

Although the Rainbow Wahine fell short late in their upset bids, the matchups gave them experiences to build upon entering Saturday’s game against Pacific (4-2) at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It shows all the hard work we have been putting in is paying off and it shows as a team we’re almost there," Sampton said. "Those games hurt because we wanted those upsets, but we competed.

"We’ve played three top-20 teams in the last two weeks. It’s showing we can compete with the best of them."

The Rainbow Wahine take on former Big West rival Pacific at 4-3, with all of their losses coming against teams ranked in the top 10 of this week’s Associated Press poll in No. 6 UNC, No. 8 Stanford and No. 10 California. The average margin in those games was 9.7 points.

Toeaina played a season-high 25 minutes against Stanford on Nov. 29 when a bruised knee kept Shawna-Lei Kuehu on the bench for most of the second half and delivered six points and seven rebounds in an 86-73 loss.

"She had to grow up quick," UH coach Laura Beeman said. "Sarah’s a competitor. She never gives you a look of fear or a lack of confidence. She’s going to continue to get significant minutes for us as the season progresses, which is great for me because it gives me time to get Shawna and Ashleigh (Karaitiana) off their feet."

Toeaina, a 5-foot-11 guard, leads the freshmen in playing 13.4 minutes per game as she continues to grow in her understanding of the schemes while acclimating to the speed of college ball.

"Definitely still trying to get the feel of it, but I’m starting to just play the game now," Toeaina said. "I used to think a lot about every action, but now I’m getting the flow of things. I just let the game come to me now."

Sampton, a 6-1 forward, also gave the Wahine valuable minutes off the bench against North Carolina on Sunday, scoring six points against a formidable Tar Heel front line.

"I’ve always been taught to play without fear," Sampton said. "My coach in high school used to say they tie their shoes up the same way you do."

Sampton made an early impact with six points and five rebounds against Denver in the second game of the season. She didn’t see much playing time against Cal or Stanford but gave the Wahine post depth on Sunday with the absence of center Connie Morris.

"For Dalayna to come in and perform the way she did was impressive," Beeman said. "Not surprising, but impressive."

As the freshmen continue their development, they’ve followed the pace set by the senior class. Kuehu leads UH with 12.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, followed by Karaitiana’s 12 points per game. Point guard Morgan Mason averages 10.1 points and leads the team with 20 assists.

"They’re not only leaders on the court, but off the court," Toeaina said. "They’re just setting the stones up and letting us walk over them right behind them."

Morris, UH’s starting center in the first six games, didn’t suit up against UNC and Beeman said her availability on Saturday could be a game-time decision.

UOP center Kendall Kenyon, a 6-2 senior, leads four Tigers averaging double-figure scoring with 13 points per game. She went 10-for-15 from the field and scored 20 points in a 64-53 win at Nevada on Tuesday.

Saturday’s game will also be a homecoming for UOP assistant coach Gavin Petersen, a University High graduate and former UH assistant.