LAS VEGAS >> Quick into the lane and quick on the break, the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team sprinted away to an 81-67 victory Wednesday over CSU Bakersfield in the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

By setting the pace and ruling the boards, the Rainbow Wahine earned a berth in the Big West tournament’s semifinals for the third consecutive year.

“It’s not about getting to the semifinals,” said UH coach Laura Beeman, whose fifth-seeded Wahine will face No. 1 UC Davis on Friday afternoon. “It’s about getting to the finals. … Our ultimate goal is to be playing (in the title game) on Saturday.”

UH took CSUB’s best shots early but then went on an 8-1 run to close the first half, then scored nine of the first 11 points of the third quarter for a 48-38 lead.

The Wahine hit 39.7% of their shots and rebounded 45.7% of their own misses. “Most of their plays we were stopping right away, and they would get a shot off, but then they’d get the rebound back,” CSUB coach Greg McCall said.

The Wahine constructed a 48-32 rebounding advantage, including 16 off the offensive glass. They amassed 18 second-chance points.

The Wahine’s share-the-wealth offense involved passing around the Roadrunners’ switching man-to-man defense, then attacking on drives or looping passes to cutters for wide-open layups. The Wahine scored 28 points in the paint. They produced 15 points on fast breaks.

Guards Jadynn Alexander and Daejah Phillips delivered leadership — and a combined 35 points and 15 rebounds — in separate roles. Alexander, a senior, scored 10 of her 17 points after the intermission. In tribute to her one-on-one skills, the Wahine ran a play in which they moved four players to the left of the lane as Alexander hit a jumper from the right side.

“That’s Jadynn,” Beeman said of Alexander’s determined play. “Anybody who’s watched our program for years, have you ever seen Jadynn not play hard? She figures out ways to get herself out of a funk if she ever has one. She does not have an off switch.”

Phillips, a freshman, was a standout post player at Centennial High, which is 22 miles from Mandalay Bay. During the recruiting process, Beeman envisioned Phillips bringing multiple skills while adjusting to playing the perimeter. On Monday, Phillips was named the Big West’s Sixth Player of the Year. On Wednesday, she came off the sideline to sink six of 10 shots, score 15 points, and grab nine rebounds.

Beeman said Phillips and another freshman, point guard Kelsie Imai, are instrumental in involving teammates in the offense. Imai, who committed only one turnover in 24 minutes, accelerated past the three-quarter-court pressure.

It was a gritty effort for the Roadrunners, whose previous game was on Feb. 19. Their season had been put on pause twice because of coronavirus-related circumstances. The Roadrunners had a few good workouts entering the tournament, but it appeared the latest hiatus was taxing.

“Our defensive presence wasn’t there at times,” McCall said. “It was like we were stuck in mud, stuck in stand, and they were quicker. They were quicker to the basket, quicker to the ball, especially on the rebounds.”

Several times, the Roadrunners were a tad late in defensive positioning. The Wahine drew 25 fouls, leading to 27 of 35 free throws. The Roadrunners were 14 of 22 from the line.

CSUB guard Andie Easley, who attended UH for a semester before transferring, scored 15 points in the first half, but only two after that.