A spot in the first round of the Big West women’s basketball tournament left Hawaii with just two days to recharge for today’s matchup with Cal Poly.
In the wider view, preparation for the postseason began back in November.
“This is why we played the preseason schedule we played,” UH coach Laura Beeman said on the eve of the tournament opener. “So that we can either be in tight games … or play against competition that is bigger than us, better than us, faster than us.”
A young Rainbow Wahine team absorbed losses to USC, Oregon, Mississippi State and UCLA in the first month of the season and the growing pains stretched into Big West play.
But there was indeed growth along the way and UH enters the conference tournament with the momentum of a three-game winning streak highlighted by a 66-63 win over second-seeded Long Beach State on Saturday.
| BIG WEST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
At Long Beach, Calif.
Who: Cal Poly (11-17, 7-9 BWC) vs. Hawaii (11-17, 7-9)
When: Today, 6:30 p.m. Hawaii time
Streaming: ESPN3
Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM
|
“Going into the tournament coming off this win it builds confidence and it lets the young girls know we’re not here just to play around, but we’re here to fight,” UH guard Sarah Toeaina said after the senior night victory at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Toeaina is one of three returnees who saw action in UH’s Big West tournament title march last season, and the road facing this year’s team is twice as long, with the Wahine needing to win four games in five days to retain the crown.
The sixth-seeded Rainbow Wahine (11-17, 7-9 Big West) departed for Southern California in the dark of Sunday morning and face seventh-seeded Cal Poly (11-17, 7-9) today at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.
UH swept the regular-season series with Cal Poly and the tournament rematch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. No. 5 UC Riverside and No. 8 UC Irvine meet in the first game at 4 p.m.
The winners of today’s doubleheader advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the higher seed facing No. 4 UC Santa Barbara and the lower seed taking on No. 3 Cal State Northridge.
UC Davis, the regular-season champion, and Long Beach State earned double byes into Friday’s semifinal round at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. UH had the double bye the past two years, losing in the final in 2015 before capturing the title last season.
“Bottom line, you have to show up and play basketball,” Beeman said. “There are easier paths and more difficult paths and this is our path.”
The first step is a third meeting with Cal Poly. UH shot a combined 48.5 percent from the field in 87-79 and 66-57 wins over the Mustangs and went 43-for-62 from the free-throw line.
“Both times we’ve faced them they’ve done a great of job of getting to the free-throw line,” Cal Poly coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “We have to be a little bit more aggressive in attacking the basket and do a better job of keeping them out of the paint.”
Both teams feature a first-team All-Big West selection in Toeaina (13.9 points per game) and Cal Poly forward Hannah Gilbert (14 points, 6.7 rebounds per game). Mustangs guards Dynn and Lynn Leaupepe led Cal Poly with 15 points per game each.
Toeaina’s midrange jumper has been one of UH’s most reliable threats this season and was locked in against Long Beach State, when she finished 10-for-13 from the field in a career-best 25-point performance.
The task of containing Gilbert will fall primarily to UH’s freshman post rotation. Makenna Woodfolk turned in one of her most complete performances against LBSU, with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on Saturday.
“They’re no longer freshmen,” Beeman said of the group of Woodfolk, Keleah-Aiko Koloi, Adrienne Darden and Taylor Donohue. “We are young, but at this point they have 20-plus games under their belt. … They have to step up, they have to play. They know what’s expected of them and the last couple games they’ve really done a good job of meeting that challenge.”
