Two losses produced myriad learning opportunities.
Last week’s rough start on the road left the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team looking to apply the lessons in its home-opening weekend at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Wahine (0-2) will face Portland to open the Bank of Hawaii Classic today at 7 p.m. and close the weekend with a 5 p.m. matchup with Portland State on Sunday.
“Two very challenging opponents and I just want to see who shows up for us,” UH coach Laura Beeman said.
The Rainbow Wahine were blitzed by San Diego’s defensive pressure in an 86-53 loss 10 days ago. They were within 11 points of Southern Cal late in the third quarter last Thursday before going cold while the Trojans ran away to a 90-50 win.
“The takeaway is we have to get better. It’s going to take some time to get better,” Beeman said. “We can’t have a quit button. We saw a little bit of quit and that was not OK.
“We have a team that’s very passionate about this university and the state. They want to win — we just have to believe in the process and be patient.”
UH forward Kallin Spiller and guard Daejah Phillips came out of the trip as UH’s top scorers. Phillips attacked the basket in a 20-point performance against San Diego. Spiller scored in double figures while working in the post in both games for an average of 12.5.
Senior forward Amy Atwell endured a tough start from the field in going 4-for-23 overall and 2-for-14 from 3-point range and will see seven fellow Australians on the other side of the court tonight.
Portland’s sizable group from Down Under includes two returning All-West Coast Conference first-team selections in guard Haylee Andrews and forward Alex Fowler. The Pilots (2-1) added another Aussie when 6-foot-6 forward Lucy Cochrane transferred from Oregon.
Fowler and Andrews averaged 12 points each in Portland’s first three games, while Cochrane followed with 10 ppg. Cochrane also leads the WCC with 30 rebounds and 10 blocks in wins over Big West member UC San Diego and Weber State and a loss to defending national champion Stanford.
“Portland returns a lot of experienced, veteran players. They’re going to play incredibly hard,” Beeman said. “I think their point guard (Andrews) does a fantastic job of running their team. She’s the head of the monster and we have to have a game plan for her because of how hard she goes and how efficient she is. They play like she plays.”
Portland State (2-0) averaged 83.5 points per game in wins over Warner Pacific and Dixie State led by freshman guard Esmeralda Morales’ 21.5. Morales went 8-for-11 from 3-point range in a 32-point night against Warner Pacific.
Today’s tournament schedule was altered on Thursday. The game between Portland State and Prairie View A&M originally scheduled for today at 5:30 p.m. will be played at 9 a.m. on Saturday as a non-ticketed event.
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Bank of Hawaii Classic
At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
>> When: Today to Sunday
>> TV: UH games on Spectrum Sports
>> Radio: UH games on 1420-AM/92.7-FM
>> Schedule: Today—Portland vs. Hawaii, 7 p.m. Saturday—Prairie View A&M vs. Portland State, 9 a.m. Sunday—Prairie View A&M, 2:30 p.m.; Portland State vs. Hawaii, 5 p.m.
>> Tickets: etickethawaii.com
>> Entrance requirements: Proof of vaccination and health check on LumiSight UH app. Masks required. Only clear bags allowed.
>> Parking: $7 (no passes)
