Olivia Davies has 5 feet of snow waiting for her when she gets back home to Alaska for Christmas weekend.
But before spending the holiday with family in Anchorage, the University of Hawaii guard is focused on helping the Rainbow Wahine basketball team break out of a cold spell today in Northern California.
The Rainbow Wahine embarked on their annual pre-Christmas road trip on Monday and close the nonconference schedule today at San Jose State. They enter the final game of a challenging early-season slate at 1-7, with the past three losses coming against reigning conference champions — Florida Gulf Coast, No. 2 Stanford and UNLV — with a combined record of 29-5.
“I think it’s super important,” Davies said of today’s matchup with the Spartans (2-8) at Provident Credit Union Event Center. “Especially if we can get a win before we move in conference, I think that’ll give us a vote of confidence.”
After the game, the team will disperse to spend Christmas with their families before reconvening Monday in Davis, Calif., in advance of the opening weekend of the Big West season. The Wahine begin defense of their conference title at UC Davis on Dec. 29, then play at Cal Poly on New Year’s Eve.
“They’re excited about going home and seeing family,” UH coach Laura Beeman said. “Some of them have not seen family in a long time and they know they’re gonna get good food and a lot of love.
“Right now, this is crunch time for us. Our preseason record isn’t what we want it to be. We’ve had some hard knocks and played some really tough competitors. So at this point, this is a big game, in my opinion. So I do hope we are checked in and ready to go.”
First up on the itinerary is a matchup with a San Jose State team similarly looking to generate momentum leading into its Mountain West Conference opener next week.
The Wahine have played one game in the past 24 days, a 76-66 home loss to UNLV on Dec. 11, and used the lengthy gaps in the schedule to turn their focus inward during practice.
“In these last two weeks we’ve had the opportunity to really work on us,” Beeman said. “I thought (against) UNLV we had some really good moments as well as some breakdowns that cost us the ballgame. (Today’s) game for me is really a telling of how much we’ve improved in the last two weeks and where the mindset of this group is.”
Davies had missed six games due to injury prior to the UNLV game and led the Wahine with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and three assists in the loss to the Rebels, applying insights she picked up from her view from the bench.
“It’s definitely a different perspective, being able to see it instead of being in it,” Davies said. “The coaches were really emphasizing, ‘What do you see, what do you think is going on, and what do you think you can help with?’ That really changed my perspective when I got back on the floor.”
As she gets back up to game speed, Davies, a fourth-year sophomore and tri-captain, is also looking to provide a veteran voice on the court.
“She brings us composure, she brings us a really good IQ, she brings us a voice on the floor that we’re lacking terribly,” Beeman said. “In tight games, games on the road, you have to have that voice.”
San Jose State snapped a six-game losing streak with a 70-56 win over UC San Diego of the Big West on Sunday, and the Wahine will see a couple of familiar faces on the court and on the bench.
The Spartans are led by guard Jada Holland’s 11.5 points per game. Holland was an All-Big West honorable mention pick at UC Riverside last season and is coming off a 17-point performance (8-for-10 on FGs) against the Tritons.
First year SJSU coach April Phillips’ staff also includes assistant Khalilah Mitchell, who coached at UH for the past four seasons.
“Khalilah’s family,” Beeman said. “It’s always good to see family. I’m looking forward to seeing her, but once it comes time to get on the court, we’re playing basketball. … During the game, she’s not family. She’s another coach and I’m trying to beat her just like she’s trying to beat us.”
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Rainbow Wahine basketball
At San Jose, Calif.
Hawaii (1-7) vs. San Jose State (2-8)
>> When: Today, noon
>> TV/Radio: None
>> Online: Mountain West Network
