The last time Hawaii encountered Cal State Northridge at the Stan Sheriff Center, the Matadors held the Rainbow Wahine basketball team to 29 points, one of the lowest scoring outputs in program history.
“This team, I don’t think is capable of scoring that for a game,” coach Laura Beeman said. “Maybe in a quarter, but not in a full game.”
Her 2019-20 Wahine still apply that teachable moment from 13 months ago, even as they’ve overhauled the curriculum since losing 58-54 to CSUN at the Matadome on Jan. 9 to open this Big West season. UH (13-10, 7-3 Big West) is riding a five-game winning streak and is a half-game out of first place heading into today’s home matchup with the Matadors (9-13, 4-4).
Beeman threw out the team’s deliberate halfcourt offense after an 0-2 BWC start, encouraging her team to push the pace.
“Completely different team. We’re a completely different team from the time we saw them opening game this year,” Beeman said. “I don’t think we’ve peaked, but I just think we’re playing our best basketball (so far).”
UH has managed to maintain its standing as one of the Big West’s better defensive teams while frequently launching the first open look it sees, even in the first handful of seconds in the shot clock. It is on pace to break the program record for 3-pointers made for the second straight year.
The Wahine have the league’s top two long bombers by a wide margin in senior guard Julissa Tago (51) and junior forward Amy Atwell (47). They could surpass Megan Tinnin for the single-season 3s record (55 in 2008-09) by next weekend.
But it’s not just them. Courtney Middap, Jadynn Alexander, Savannah Reier and even center Lauren Rewers will pull from deep without hesitation.
“It’s a lot more fun to play that way,” said Atwell, who is having the third-most accurate 3-point-shooting season (.461) in UH history. “Scoring the ball is fun. Everyone wants to score. I think everybody’s looking for each other. Everyone understands their role on the team. … Everyone enjoys each other’s successes, and it’s just a loving team right now.”
At home in conference play, UH has had a 94-point game — its highest total since 2001 — and another in which it sank a program-record 18 3s.
“It was only a matter of time until we did start putting up scores like that,” Atwell said.
Tago was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the revamped offense; five of her six 20-point games this season have come in Big West play, during which she’s averaged 17.8 and reached double figures every game.
The Wahine can still grind out wins, as last week’s road sweep of Cal Poly (59-46) and UC Santa Barbara (63-51) attested.
Beeman said the key has been for her players to be shot-ready.
“More than feet and more than body positioning, I think it’s mentality,” she said. “And these guys have the right mentality going into every shot they take.”
CSUN comes in having lost three straight since a 4-1 BWC start, averaging just 47.3 points over the slide.
UH’s winning streak is its longest since stringing seven in a row in its last Big West title season of 2015-16.
BIG WEST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
At Stan Sheriff Center
>> Who: Cal State Northridge (9-13, 4-4 Big West) at Hawaii (13-10, 7-3)
>> When: Today, 7 p.m.
>> TV: Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM / 92.7 FM
