The first ten minutes set the tone for No. 9 UCLA’s 72-49 rout of Hawaii on Sunday in Los Angeles.

The last 20 gave coach Laura Beeman’s Rainbow Wahine basketball team something to build upon.

UCLA (6-1) overwhelmed the Wahine early while racing out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter and four Bruins scored in double figures in the matchup at Pauley Pavilion, where the teams met in the first round of the NCAA tournament in March.

The Bruins led 45-17 at halftime and remained in control while sending UH (2-6) to its fourth straight loss and second straight against a top-10 opponent.

Although UCLA led by as many as 33, Beeman saw promise in the second half, when a shorthanded UH rotation outscored the Bruins 32-27.

“We came out a little bit flat because of being intimidated and with a young team that doesn’t surprise me,” Beeman said in a phone interview. “What I’m proud about is our effort in the second half was much better than in in the first half.

“I know UCLA turned the heat off a little bit on us, they were executing some things, had some different lineups in, they were working on some things for them to grow. But I would like to have seen what would have happened had we shown up in the first half and played like we did in the second half.”

UCLA forward Monique Billings, a 6-foot-4 junior, scored 12 of her 16 points in the first quarter and guard Jordin Canada finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Guard Kennedy Burke also scored 13 points and Nicole Kornet hit two of UCLA’s eight 3-pointers and added 10 points.

“(Billings’) athleticism is off the chart. I bet that young lady could have a full ride scholarship in high jumping if she wasn’t playing basketball,” Beeman said.

“She’s an amazing player and if you pair her up with Jordin Canada, they have one of the best post players and probably the best point guard in the country. That’s a pretty deadly combination and we felt that in that first and second quarter particularly.”