It is what it is. And this week it’s the extremes of Big West women’s basketball for Hawaii.

The Rainbow Wahine face one of the top teams in UC Davis at the northernmost campus in the conference. On Saturday, it’s their earliest tip-off at the southernmost campus against one of the bottom teams in the standings in UC Irvine.

"As I’ve said before, we knew going into this year that the Big West has done us no favors (schedulewise)," Hawaii coach Laura Beeman said before leaving Tuesday afternoon for California. "It is what it is and we’re not going to use that as an excuse. We did a very difficult Colorado State-Denver trip and came out successful (2-0).

"I think we’re starting to play more in stride since that time. We’re still not healthy, but we’re healthy enough to go on this road trip and win two."

Hawaii is a bit healthier than its last road trip, where it dropped two at Cal Poly and CSUN. Freshman guard Sarah Toeaina (groin) is expected to be out at least another two weeks, but the Wahine expect to have senior guard Shawna-Lei Kuehu (shoulder) available for the road contests. She traveled but did not play against the Mustangs or the Matadors, but did play 18 minutes with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the 69-58 victory Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Beeman has equal amounts of concern about her team and this week’s opponents.

The Aggies and the Anteaters present different problems, and it will be a quick turnaround, adjusting from Davis’ bigger size and lethal outside shooting — senior Kelsey Harris leads the nation in 3-point percentage (.500) — to UCI’s smaller lineup and sophomore shooting duo of guard Irene Chavez and forward Mokun Fajemisin.

The concern for Hawaii, as always, is free-throw shooting. The goals are, first, get to the line, and, second, make the shots.

The Wahine have been up and down, capable of shooting around 80 percent and just as capable of shooting under 60 percent. It’s reflected in where Hawaii is in the conference: right in the middle, in fifth, at 67 percent.

Sending the other team to the line is also a concern. Hawaii’s aggressive style had led to foul trouble, including Saturday, when freshman center Megan Huff got whistled for two early fouls and played just 17 minutes.

"It’s still about our execution," Beeman said. "I’m very optimistic about this trip. We just have to play.

"How well we shoot from the line and how well they shoot from the line, especially at Davis, could be the difference in the game. Regardless of what happens at Davis, we have to come back at least 1-1. We’ve always had our struggles at Irvine, especially when they’ve been on the back end of the road trip. We are not overlooking them."

Huff, still making the transition from playing volleyball, is expected to start Thursday, as Beeman will go with the lineup from last Saturday’s victory. That includes senior guards Ashleigh Karaitiana and Morgan Mason, junior guard Ashleigh Karaitiana and junior forward Shawlina Segovia.

Destiny King is coming off a career night in which she scored 17 points with 9 rebounds and 6 steals. Sophomore point guard Bri Harris also had a solid night, coming off the bench to run the offense for 28 minutes.

Hawaii caught a break in its travel from Davis to Irvine. Instead of an 8-hour bus ride south, the Wahine will take a 45-minute flight because it was cheaper.