A month ago today the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team’s record had slumped to 6-9, characteristic of what its coach, Laura Beeman, might call “one of those head-in-your hands” coach’s moments.

Times, she says, “When you come home (from a loss), wondering, ‘What have I done?’”

Occasions when coming out of a demanding nonconference schedule seems to have contributed to a tailspin that can be tough to shake when Big West Conference play gets underway.

“But you just have to take a deep breath and say to yourself, ‘You’ve got this,’ ” Beeman said. “It is about remembering (that) I have to commit to the process as much as I ask the kids to.”

This week we are reminded that there are, in fact, benefits to Beeman’s toilsome scheduling and hard-knocks approach and the Rainbow Wahine seem to have begun reaping them.

From that season low point of 6-9, the Rainbow Wahine, who swept last week’s road trip, have won five consecutive games and seven of their last eight. Their longest winning streak in four seasons has placed them a half-game out of first place in the Big West as they return home at 13-10 (7-3 conference) for Thursday’s game against Cal State Northridge.

It would be easy, of course, to avoid the headaches with a heaping helping of bottom-feeder scheduling in the nonconference portion of the season. A few games against the Little Sisters of the Poor can sure puff up a record.

But Beeman, well before she got the latest contract extension, has scheduled with loftier goals in mind. “We schedule hard in the preseason because we always want to give ourselves the opportunity to play in the postseason,” Beeman said. “If, for some reason, we don’t win the conference tournament (which carries an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament), we want to give ourselves a way to go to the postseason.”

Five times in Beeman’s seven previous seasons the Rainbow Wahine have earned a place in the postseason.

That is a large part of why the Rainbow Wahine played fourth-ranked North Carolina State (22-1) and 11th-ranked Oregon State (19-5) plus Texas and Washington. It is why they hit the road for five games in the nonconference instead of sticking to the coziness of the Stan Sheriff Center.

“I want these ladies to know how to play basketball at a high level and say, ‘Oh, wow, this is how we want to be.’ We want to give them an opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country,” Beeman said.

It is, she notes, good for recruiting and for the Ratings Percentage Index, which is a tool used for selecting teams for the postseason.

They took some lumps and had to overcome some injuries, but in playing the toughest nonconference schedule of any Big West team, they also learned some valuable lessons that have been applied to league, in which they lead the way in eight major categories, including scoring defense, fewest turnovers and fewest fouls.

“Right now we’re playing where there is no panic mode (when UH falls behind in a game). That goes back to being able to finish games like Texas and Washington,” Beeman said. “And learning from losses (such as NC State and Oregon State) and moving forward.”

Beeman said, “The girls, I can see it in their eyes, saying, ‘We’ve done this before.’ That’s just a great feeling for a coach to have, (knowing) that your team is confident, not arrogant. We’re not going to always have great shooting nights, but you just take a deep breath, say ‘This is the process … we’ve got this.’ That’s just a great feeling.”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.