Amy Atwell dribbled out the final seconds and flung the ball skyward as the buzzer sounded.
The final moments provided a fitting end to the Hawaii forward’s final home appearance as the Rainbow Wahine basketball team converged around her to celebrate a championship.
Before honoring Atwell’s six-year UH career, the Rainbow Wahine completed their quest for the Big West regular-season title with a 58-52 win over UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
A balanced offensive performance and two late defensive stops before a season-high crowd of 1,607 punctuated UH’s fifth regular-season conference title — fourth as a member of the Big West — and the first since the 2014-15 season.
“To go out with a Big West regular-season championship on senior night and have these girls behind me is a dream come true,” said a lei-covered Atwell. “This season so far has been kind of a fairy tale and everything I’ve wished it to be.
“We still have unfinished business, but this is an amazing feeling.”
The Rainbow Wahine (17-9, 13-3 Big West) will open the Big West Tournament on Wednesday with a quarterfinal matchup at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev. Their opponent will be determined in a first-round game between Cal State Northridge and CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday.
Atwell, the Big West’s leading scorer throughout the conference season, played the role of facilitator for much of the night and finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists in a raucous final home game.
“The energy in this place was phenomenal,” said UH coach Laura Beeman, who thanked the crowd after the game and called the win her favorite moment in her 10-year career in Manoa.
“That young lady has meant the world to our program,” she said of Atwell. “She is the type of player that if you get once in your career you’ve done something right in your life.”
Guard Olivia Davies led the Wahine with 10 points and Ashley Thoms added nine as all 10 Wahine players who got into the game scored and they held off a UCSB comeback to clinch the title.
Guard Daejah Phillips scored all eight of her points in the second half, including a pivotal putback to slow a UCSB comeback in the fourth quarter.
“We knew it was going to be facilitate and play-make more than score for me tonight,” Atwell said. “I think early on I forced it a little bit and just had to take a deep breath and it was like, if they send two or three to me then I’ve got wide-open teammates.”
UCSB guard Alexis Tucker led the Gauchos with 14 points and center Ila Lane added 11 points and 18 rebounds. Guard Danae Miller finished with 13 after hitting two late 3-pointers that helped UCSB cut a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to three with 1:27 left.
After UCSB closed to 52-49, the Wahine called a timeout and Atwell scored on a drive to stretch the lead back to five.
“It’s what you expect from your sixth-year senior,” Beeman said. “Just her composure on the court helps us.”
UH entered the day percentage points ahead of second place UC Irvine, which took care of its business with a 67-52 win over CSU Bakersfield earlier on Saturday to extend the title chase to the final game of the conference’s regular-season schedule.
The Anteaters won their last four games of the regular season to finish at 19-10 overall and 14-4 (.778) in conference play and will be the second seed in the Big West bracket.
With its title hopes on the line, UH took control with a 19-4 run bridging halftime to open up a 39-24 lead early in the third quarter. The Wahine led 48-34 early in the fourth before UCSB went on a 15-4 run and closed the gap to three when Miller drained a 3-pointer and Lane scored on a putback with 1:26 left.
After a UH timeout, Atwell drove for a layup to give the Wahine a 54-49 lead with 59.1 seconds left.
“I just embraced the moment,” Atwell said.
Atwell then came down with a defensive rebound on UCSB’s next possession and Davies hit two free throws with 26.8 seconds left.
Miller drained another 3-pointer to cut the UH lead to 56-52 with 20.8 seconds left and Phillips drew a foul and made two more free throws. The Wahine forced a turnover and Phillips got the ball to Atwell to finish the game and start the celebration.
“I don’t even know what I was thinking in the moment,” said Atwell, who took the first cut of the net. “It was ‘Thank God.’”
