Hawaii Hilo women’s basketball’s Mandi Kawaha was named the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week for her standout defensive effort in a 66-58 win over Academy of Art on Thursday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

Kawaha led the Vulcans in limiting the Urban Knights to 58 points. AAU turned the ball over 18 times to the relentless Vulcans defense. A season-high four of those steals were credited to Kawaha, who also recorded her first block of the season along with a team-leading eight rebounds. Kawaha increased her season total for steals to 11, placing her 20th in the PacWest’s top 25 for the category.

Kawaha also led UHH offensively with a team-high 16 points. She is currently the PacWest’s third-highest scorer, averaging 18.5 points a game.