Defense, rebounding and Shawna-Lei have worked all year

ANAHEIM, CALIF. » It’s been all about the next step all season. At last, Hawaii is poised to take it.

The 15th straight win for the top-seeded Rainbow Wahine, a 73-64 decision over Cal State Fullerton on Friday in the Big West tournament semifinals, has UH within 40 minutes of a championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Forty more minutes of trademark Wahine basketball — defense and rebounding — could get it done at the Honda Center against second-seeded Cal State Northridge, the defending Big West tourney champion, which prevailed 61-47 against UC Davis in Friday’s other semifinal.

UH (23-7) hadn’t earned a championship game appearance since 2002, when it came up four points short of beating Louisiana Tech. The last time UH made the NCAAs was 1998.

"Once you’ve tasted success, you don’t go backward," UH coach Laura Beeman said. "This team’s not about ready to go backward. This program will not be ‘OK’ (average) again. There’s too many girls that understand what winning feels like. Winning is fun. Winning is contagious.

"This group of young ladies is extraordinary. They like each other, on and off the court, the way they play for one another, the way they play for the state of Hawaii is amazing. There’s no way they’re going backward."

UH and CSUN (22-9) split their regular-season meetings home-and-home. UH’s 53-46 defeat at Northridge on Jan. 10 was the last time the regular-season champion Wahine lost; they’ve rattled off 15 straight wins since, including 64-49 over the Matadors at the Stan Sheriff Center on Jan. 31.

"They have the hardware," CSUN coach Jason Flowers said. "In order to (assess) yourself, you want to play against the best. And the regular season says Hawaii is the best team in this conference. We have a lot of respect for Laura and what’s she’s done and what she’s built, so we’re going to go back and have to find a way to score one more point than them."

Shawna-Lei Kuehu, who was sidelined for that loss with an injury, led the way Friday with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds off the bench. Destiny King had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Marissa Wimbley scored 12.

"The way the program is headed right now, we just have to keep it rolling," the co-captain Kuehu said. "We gotta stay locked in. And that’s from the top down. From our seniors and juniors to our sophomores and freshmen. We lead by example."

Fullerton (13-19), the seventh seed, played well in winning two games against higher seeds just to get to the semifinals. Meanwhile, UH went straight to the semis by virtue of its regular-season conference championship.

The Titans stuck to a 2-3 zone just about the entire way against the Wahine, daring UH — generally not a 3-point shooting team — to employ the long ball.

It backfired at first, as UH sank four 3s in building a 22-7 lead. CSF stuck with the zone, though, and things narrowed considerably from there.

"(CSF) did a great job. (We) were able to get the ball inside when we needed to, especially in the first half, and find available shooters in windows," Beeman said. "A very good 3-point-shooting first half (6-for-11), and that really helped us."

The Titans’ hot shooting — they made nine of their first 13 3s and 20 of 23 at the foul line — bolstered them during an 18-2 run bridging the halves. They claimed their first lead with 16 minutes to play and went ahead for the last time, 43-40, on a Tailer Butler 3 with 14 minutes to go.

UH buckled down on the perimeter and did not allow another 3 until the game was nearly in hand up 11 with 1:08 left. CSF finished shooting just 31.5 percent from the field to UH’s 48.1 percent.

"We’re a defensive team, we take pride in our defense," King said. "And if our defense wasn’t as locked in as it was, then we weren’t going to execute our offense. So once we started to lock down on defense, then it changed the whole game."

Kuehu showed her immense worth Friday. She delivered a number of big plays — none bigger than her block of CSF guard Chante Miles (team-high 16 points) with a rebound rip and fast-break dish to Wimbley for a three-point play to cap off an 11-0 run in the second half, making it 51-43.

CSF coach Daron Park was an assistant coach with Louisiana Tech back when UH and LaTech were in the same conference. He remembers Kuehu from the early days of her six-year career.

"I feel like I know Shawna very well," Park said. "We were in the WAC, so I’ve seen her. In my dreams, I’ve seen her."

UH struggled mightily from the line (15-for-29, 51.7 percent) but converted enough (7-for-10) to secure the victory once Fullerton went to fouling in the last two minutes. Kuehu went 5-for-6 late.

UH routed CSF 61-38 on senior night last Saturday, but the Titans were playing possum in that one; Park rested his key players in advance of this week’s meaningful games.

But UH would not fall in upset fashion to Fullerton as it did in Beeman’s first Big West tournament in 2013.

"They’re really good. I give them a lot of credit," Park said. "We make our living as coaches trying to find weaknesses and trying to game plan to take away strengths, and it’s really hard to do with a team like that. They had an incredible desire today to get to the championship game and it’s something we’re going to try and emulate. I wish them all the success in the world."

Halftime — Hawaii 36, CS Fullerton 29

3-point goals —  Cal State Fullerton 10-18 (Logan 5-8, Butler 3-6, Miles 2-3, Tivenius 0-1). Hawaii 8-18 (Wimbley 3-6, Harris 2-3, Karaitiana 2-7, King 1-2). Steals — Cal State Fullerton 4 (Iwuoha 3, Tivenius). Hawaii 7 (King 2, Kuehu 2, Huff, Sampton, Wimbley). Turnovers — Cal State Fullerton 10 (Iwuoha 5, Miles 3, Butler, Logan). Hawaii 10 (Huff 2, Karaitiana 2, Morris 2, Harris, King, Segovia, TEAM). Assists — Cal State Fullerton 13 (Miles 7, Butler 3, Iwuoha, Logan, Smith). Hawaii 16 (Kuehu 6, Karaitiana 3, King 3, Harris, Segovia, Toeaina, Wimbley). Blocked shots — Cal State Fullerton 2 (Smith, Tivenius). Hawaii 1 (Kuehu).Technical fouls — Cal State Fullerton TEAM. Hawaii none. Officials — Chuck Gonzalez, Cathi Cornell, Skelly Wingard. A — NA.