After all the pomp and circumstance, it's finally time for the University of Hawai‘i women's basketball team to hoop again.
The Rainbow Wahine completed the regular season 22-8 and 16-4 in Big West play, winning the conference regular season title last Thursday and adding another win on senior night two nights later.
On Tuesday, members of the team took home a bevy of the Big West's major awards. Head coach Laura Beeman was named the Coach of the Year for the third time in four years, while ‘Iolani alumna Lily Wahinekapu was named the conference's Player of the Year after averaging 12.2 points and 2.3 assists per game. Additionally, center Ritorya Tamilo was named the Big West Freshman of the Year, while Imani Perez was named to the All-Defensive team.
As the top seed in the Big West Tournament, the Rainbow Wahine arrived in Henderson, Nev. earlier this week and received a double bye into Friday's semifinals. On Thursday, the 'Bows finally learned who they would play, as UC San Diego advanced to the semis with a 59-54 win over Cal Poly in the quarterfinals. Tipoff is set for 9 a.m. HST, with the winner clinching a spot in Saturday's championship game against either UC Davis or UC Irvine.
"I think when we first got up here, it was just kind of, 'Let's take a deep breath, let's celebrate all the great things.' We had some really good practices," Beeman said in a media call on Thursday. "But I think, yes, last evening and today, I think they are very anxious to get on the court. It is time. . ... It is time to get on the court and play some basketball."
The 'Bows are in a similar position from where they were last year as the top seed and regular season champions. However, in 2024, the Rainbow Wahine were a one-and-done in the conference tournament, falling 51-48 to UC Davis in the conference semifinals.
"It's always about finishing the job, whether it's right now or it was earlier in this season," Perez said. "You have to stay focused and you have to be ready. You can't underestimate anybody. This tournament is big. It's going to be exciting. We're back here, back as the number one (seed), and we're going to see what we can do."
In Friday's semifinals, the Rainbow Wahine will look to contain star UCSD guard Sumayah Sugapong, who joined Wahinekapu on the All-Big West first team. In Thursday's victory over Cal Poly, Sugapong dropped 29 points while swiping six steals, although she also turned the ball over six times.
Hawai‘i is assured a spot in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament if it does not win the Big West Tournament. The Rainbow Wahine competed in the 2024 WBIT, although that was barely a consolation for a team that had eyes on the NCAA Tournament.
"I think any type of competitive athlete doesn't forget about a loss that hurts. And I think last year's loss really hurt, and so we haven't talked about it much as a group. I don't think we need to," Beeman said. "We all know that we picked a bad day to play bad. We're just keeping our eye on this year and what our ultimate goal is."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
