So much for easing into the new year.
Hawaii embarked on its first road trip of the the Big West women’s basketball season Tuesday to face the conference’s preseason favorite today before taking on its highest rated team Saturday.
The Rainbow Wahine (4-8) open the league season today at Long Beach State at Walter Pyramid then head north to close opening week at UC Davis.
Powered by a veteran lineup, LBSU (9-6) was voted by coaches and media as the favorite to win the league. UC Davis (9-4) owns the conference’s best record through nonconference play and leads the Big West in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index at No. 61, with LBSU at No. 66.
“It’s a tough road trip … But let’s get battle tested from the get go. Let’s see where we are Game 1,” UH coach Laura Beeman said.
UH is 49-17 in Big West play since returning to the league in 2012, coinciding with Beeman’s four years leading the program, and has finished no lower than third in the regular-season standings during that span.
The Wahine tied for second last year, then represented the Big West in last year’s NCAA tournament as the conference tournament champion, and with a youthful roster were voted fifth in the preseason coaches poll and third in media voting.
The nonconference record reflects UH’s growing pains, but after winning the regular-season title two years ago and the tournament crown last March, chances are the Wahine will continue to have the league’s attention.
“In my eyes we have always been the targets and as a team we have to take that in,” UH senior Briana Harris said. “Everybody wants to beat us and we have to take on that challenge and I think we are going to.”
The growth process included matchups against two teams ranked in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 (No. 4 Mississippi State and No. 9 UCLA) and two more receiving votes (USC and Boise State). UH dropped six of seven before closing the nonconference slate with a 51-47 win over Grand Canyon a week ago.
While getting the newcomers up to speed with the physicality of Division I ball, the start of conference play brings an uptick in intensity.
“It’s definitely amped up,” said junior Sarah Toeaina, UH’s leading scorer at 11.2 points per game. “Preseason is what we called our dress rehearsal, so now it’s showtime. We have to see what we’re made of.”
UH led the Big West in scoring defense last season in allowing 58.8 points per game and enters league play again as its stingiest team at a league-low 63.9 ppg, with opponents shooting 37.4 percent from the field.
“To be leading the conference in that stat, particularly when I don’t think we’re very good on defense, it’s a nice place to be,” Beeman said. “So if we can continue that trend and continue to make people struggle against us and grow … then that’s something we can use as a foundation while our offense still struggles a little bit.”
The Wahine offense has been slower to warm up so far with 55.8 points per game, last in the league, on 34.8 percent shooting.
UH has won its last seven meetings against Long Beach State, including a 76-60 victory in last year’s Big West tournament semifinals. The Wahine then defeated UC Davis 78-59 for the title.
“Two very different teams,” Beeman said. “Long Beach, top of the conference, and then having to get on a flight and play a very methodical, well-drilled Davis team. We’re going to figure out who we are and how good we are right away.”
BIG WEST TEAMS
Cal Poly (4-8)
Coach: Faith Mimnaugh (20th season)
Projected finish: 7th
RPI: 295
Big games: at No. 10 Stanford (83-55 L); at No. 9 UCLA (80-64 L)
Key players: F Hannah Gilbert (13.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 50.7 FG%); G Dynn Leaupepe (13.3 ppg); G Lynn Leaupepe (13.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg)
Notes: Gilbert, a 6-foot-3 senior, twice scored a career-high 29 points, in a loss to Sacramento State and a win over North Dakota State, shooting 28-for-36 in those games. … The Leaupepe twins, now juniors, rank sixth and seventh in the BWC in scoring. Lynn is second in rebounding.
Cal State Fullerton (3-10)
Coach: Daron Park (4th season)
Projected finish: 9th
RPI: 349
Big games: Wyoming (26-61 L): Columbia (61-46 L)
Key players: G Iman Lathan (17.7 ppg, 42.4 FG%); C Daeja Smith (10.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 56.8 FG%); G Jade Vega (9.1 ppg, 3.1 apg)
Notes: Lathan sat out last season after transferring from Nevada and enters league play as the BWC’s leading scorer while averaging a league-high 16 shots per game. … Smith is the conference’s most efficient shooter. … The Titans snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Antelope Valley last Saturday.
Cal State Northridge (7-7)
Coach: Jason Flowers (7th season)
Projected finish: 6th
RPI: 143
Big games: No. 7 Stanford (54-88 L); No. 19 Michigan State (63-59 L); No. 11 Washington (101-44 L).
Key players: C Channon Fluker (16.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 30 BK); G Serafina Maulupe (11.6 ppg, 33 3FGM)
Notes: Fluker, a 6-4 sophomore, continues to build on her BWC Freshman of the Year performance. She averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds in two games last week to earn the BWC Player of the Week award for the second time this season. … The Matadors rank second in the conference in scoring (66.9 ppg) and lead the league in rebounding margin (plus-3.4).
Hawaii (4-8)
Coach: Laura Beeman (5th season)
Projected finish: 5th
RPI: 227
Big games: at USC (76-44 L); No. 7 Mississippi State (66-41 L); at No. 9 UCLA (72-49 L).
Key players: G Sarah Toeaina (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg); G Briana Harris (10.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg); G Olivia Crawford (8.6 ppg)
Notes: Forward Makenna Woodfolk started the first 10 games and leads the Wahine with seven rebounds per game while pacing the freshman class with 5.2 points per game. … Sophomore Leah Salanoa leads the team with 18 3-pointers. … Harris started UH’s first two games but is providing scoring off the bench. … UH’s .660 all-time BWC winning percentage is the highest among current members and second overall.
Long Beach State (9-6)
Coach: Jody Wynn (8th season)
Projected finish: 1st
RPI: 67
Big games: Duke (83-46 L); No. 19 Florida (83-53 L); No. 21 South Florida (73-68 W)
Key players: F Madison Montgomery (10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg); F Jewelyn Sawyer (9.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg); Raven Benton (9.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Notes: The 49ers own the BWC’s lone win over a ranked opponent, handing South Florida its only loss of the season to date. … LBSU has forced opponents into 21.4 turnovers per game. … Senior guard Anna Kim leads the team with 3.6 assists per game and 22 steals. … The 49ers are tied for 11th nationally with 128 3-pointers made.
UC Davis (9-4)
Coach: Jennifer Gross (6th season)
Projected finish: 2nd
RPI: 61
Big games: at No. 11 Stanford (68-42 L); at No. 15 Oregon State (93-52 L);
Key players: F Morgan Bertsch (17.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 52.9 FG%); G Dani Nafekh (12.2 ppg, 46.6 3FG%); F Pele Gianotti (10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Notes: The Aggies lead the BWC in scoring (72.2 points per game) and field-goal percentage (45.5 pct.). … Bertsch, a 6-4 sophomore, is second in the league in scoring and has scored in double figures in all 13 games with a high of 27 vs. San Francisco. … Nafekh tops the league in 3-point shooting percentage.
UC Irvine (2-12)
Coach: Tamara Inoue (1st season)
Projected finish: 8th
RPI: 322
Big games: UNLV (62-46 L); USC (83-45 L)
Key players: F Shereen Sutherland (12.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg); F Sabrina Engelstad (11.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg); G Andee Ritter (10.6 ppg, 36 3FGM)
Notes: Inoue is in her first season as a head coach after spending the last five as an assistant at New Mexico State. … Ritter and UH freshman Julissa Tago were teammates at South Medford (Ore.) High School. Close to 71 percent of Ritter’s total field goals have come from 3-point range.
UC Riverside (6-7)
Coach: John Margaritis (13th season)
Projected finish: 3rd
RPI: 138
Big games: at USC (67-49 L); at California (71-56 L); at Missouri (68-62 L)
Key players: F Rejane Verin (16.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 47.7 FG%); G Simone DeCoud (12.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 81.6 FT%); G Lauren Holt (11.6 ppg)
Notes: The Highlanders went 16-0 in the regular season last year in two-time BWC Player of the Year Brittany Crain’s senior season. … Verin’s averages rank in the top 5 in the conference in scoring (fourth), rebounding (tie third) and assists (first). … DeCoud reached 1,000 career points on Nov. 29. … Margaritis posted his 300th career win on Dec. 29.
UC Santa Barbara (5-8)
Coach: Bonnie Henrickson (2nd season)
Projected finish: 4th
RPI: 280
Big games: at Iowa State (77-60 L); No. 9 UCLA (71-52 L); at Fresno State (50-49 W)
Key players: Coco Miller (10.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg); Drew Edelman (9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 54.5 FG%); Onome Jemerigbe (8.8 ppg, 4.2 apg)
Notes: The Gauchos made a six-game improvement to finish at 8-8 in BWC play last season. … Jemerigbe is second in the league in assists, with Oregon transfer Drea Toler third at four per game. … Toler hit a game-winner against Fresno State and is averaging 9.4 points and 4.6 assists over the last nine games.
