The University of Hawai‘i women's basketball team accomplished its main objective in Beeman's Bigger Bash on Saturday night, defeating UC Irvine 46-42 in a hard-fought defensive struggle on Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
A season-high turnstile crowd of 2,978 buoyed the Rainbow Wahine, who were sluggish in the first half and faced a 22-17 deficit at the break. An 11-0 run in the fourth quarter sparked the 'Bows, who improved to 13-6 overall and 7-2 in Big West play, moving into a three-way tie with UCI and Long Beach State atop the conference standings.
Although the crowd count did not surpass the 2024 edition of the game (4,080), Beeman believed the fan support the Rainbow Wahine received on Saturday night was immeasurable.
"They were unbelievable," Beeman said. "They gave us the extra juice that we needed. Any of these kids that weren't feeling well, they were able to catch that energy, and I think that definitely pushed us over the edge tonight. It was an incredible environment."
Hawai‘i's marketing department pulled out all the stops on Saturday night to make the contest feel grand. The Rainbow Wahine's starting lineup was introduced near a fog machine and T-shirt cannons that shot swag into the crowd. UH employees threw dozens of more free shirts into the crowd throughout the night.
Beeman bobbleheads were handed to the first 1,000 fans. A UH-Mānoa student even won a free Apple Watch during a contest during a break in the action.
On the court, the Rainbow Wahine became the first college team to wear fan-designed uniforms, wearing Colorado native Isaac Daggett's "sUHrf City" design.
Despite the festivities, both teams trudged through the first 20 minutes. The Anteaters led despite an 8-for-31 performance from the field, while UH went 7-for-24. The Rainbow Wahine briefly took the lead in the third quarter with a 6-0 run before both teams exchanged the lead multiple times in the third period.
‘Iolani alumna Lily Wahinekapu had a team-high 13 points for Hawai‘i, making three of her eight 3-point attempts to go with her four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The rest of the team went 0-for-17 from beyond the arc.
"It was so awesome to be in that atmosphere," Wahinekapu said, likening the environment to when the program played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament at LSU in Baton Rouge, La. "It was really loud out there. It was hard for us to get the play calls because it was that loud. But shoutout to the fans, they're amazing. Love you guys, and thank you to my family. My whole family showed up from all over the island, and outer island, too."
Meanwhile, freshman Ritorya Tamilo had 11 points and rebounds each, good for the first double-double of her college career.
Momentum is on Hawai‘i's side as the Rainbow Wahine approach the midpoint of their 20-game conference schedule. After starting conference play 0-2, the 'Bows are on a seven-game winning streak. As much as Beeman appreciated another event named after her, she knows there's more important games in the future coming up for a program that has reached the postseason three years in a row.
"We're just going to keep believing in our process and keep moving forward. We have a very, very big game on Thursday against (UC) San Diego," Beeman said. "As far as being in a three-way tie, it's great, but I want to be in first place come March. That's the goal. So, we're just going to keep chipping away, keep our eye on the prize, which is March to get into the tournament, win the tournament and keep moving. But great to be sitting here tonight, great crowd, but it's not where we want to finish."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
