In two years of college basketball, Lily Wahinekapu has proved quite adept at the transition game.
The ‘Iolani graduate made a seemingly seamless adjustment to the next level last season when she was named the Big West Conference’s top freshman while at Cal State Fullerton.
She returned home to join her sister at the University of Hawaii for her sophomore season and blended into the Rainbow Wahine system and culture to again earn conference honors.
“As we got into the season I started to adjust more and fit in well with the style of play at UH,” Wahinekapu said after being named to the All-Big West first team on Monday.
“The coaches trusted me and we were really able to practice the things I needed to do to jell with the team. They did a really good job of helping me get integrated into the system.”
Wahinekapu enters her second Big West Tournament as UH’s leading scorer and was among four Rainbow Wahine players to receive recognition from the conference on Monday.
Sophomore guard Daejah Phillips and graduate forward Kallin Spiller made the honorable mention list and forward Imani Perez was named to the All-Freshman team.
Wahinekapu will face her former team for the third time this season when the third-seeded Rainbow Wahine (15-14, 13-7 Big West) begin defense of the tournament title on Wednesday in a quarterfinal game against sixth seed Cal State Fullerton (14-15, 9-11) at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
“It’s exciting to play against them, but at the end of the day we’re just competing and we all want that championship,” Wahinekapu said in the Zoom session with local media.
Wahinekapu enters her second BWC tournament averaging a team-high 11.9 points per game and also leads the Wahine with 82 assists and 48 steals. She had a run of 12 consecutive games in double figures and set her UH career highs with 21 points in a loss to Long Beach State and last Saturday’s senior-night win over UC Santa Barbara.
“Lily has an incredibly high IQ … she’s also incredibly coachable, she’s a great teammate,” UH coach Laura Beeman said of Wahinekapu’s transition. “So all of those factors go into a very steep learning curve lessening as the season goes on.
“I think before she’s done she will be Big West Player of the Year her junior or senior year. She’s going to continue to grow within our system and I think that’s outstanding.”
Wahinekapu played alongside her sister, freshman Jovi Lefotu, for the first 18 games of the season. But Lefotu suffered a season-ending injury in a loss at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 26 and is one of four UH players now sidelined along with guard Olivia Davies and forwards Jacque David and Avery Watkins.
“We just want to play for Liv, Jovi, Jacque and Avery — everyone that’s out that has been going through a rough time right now,” Wahinekapu said.
Perez has turned potential into production in a late-season run and takes a streak of four consecutive double-figure scoring performances into the conference tournament. She posted her first double-double with 10 points and rebounds last Thursday against Cal State Northridge and tied her season high with 13 points while grabbing another eight boards against UCSB.
Perez said adjusting to the speed of college ball “honestly wasn’t too bad.”
“I’ve played around fast paced and more competitive (basketball) throughout my career, so this was just amped up a little more. I personally like it.”
Phillips was the BWC Sixth Player of the Year in 2021 and requested a role coming off the bench again this season. She went on to earn honorable mention for the second straight season and is second on the team with 10.6 points per game and 71 assists.
Spiller, one of UH’s two graduate students along with guard McKenna Haire, finished the regular season fifth in the Big West with 7.1 rebounds per game to go along with 8.9 points.
While Spiller can stretch the floor as a 3-point threat, “I think where Kallin has probably improved the most this year is her ability to be physical down on the block.”
“Her steadiness on and off the court has been really valuable for us.”
Big West women’s Tournament capsules
1. UC Irvine Anteaters
>> Records: 24-5, 16-2 BWC
>> Wednesday’s opponent: Cal State Northridge-CSU Bakersfield winner
>> Head coach: Tamara Inoue
>> Story line: The Anteaters lost their top three scorers in Naomi Hunt (11.7 ppg), Olivia Williams (8.2) and Hunter Hernandez (12.0) to season-ending injuries and canceled two games due to a lack of healthy players. They added a member of the soccer team to create some roster depth. Even so, the Anteaters enter the tournament on a seven-game winning streak bridging the break and having captured the program’s first BWC regular-season title.
>> Player to watch: Guard Diaba Konate leads UCI with 88 assists but has looked for her shot as the injuries mounted. She’s averaging 12.2 points over the past five games and ranks eighth in the nation in free-throw percentage (80-for-88, 91%).
2. Long Beach State Beach
>> Records: 22-8, 17-3 BWC
>> Wednesday’s opponent: Cal Poly-UC Riverside winner
>> Coach: Jeff Cammon
>> Story line: The Beach reeled off 15 straight wins but settled for the second seed after a 65-56 loss to UC Davis to close the regular season left LBSU .039 percentage points behind UC Irvine. The Beach’s length in the backcourt contributed to a No. 10 ranking in the nation in turnover margin and steals per game (11.5) and they force a league-high 20.1 turnovers per game.
>> Players to watch: While BWC Player of the Year Tori Harris leads the offense with 13.6 points per game (14.5 in BWC play), guard Ma’Qhi Berry leads the Big West with 4.4 assists per game and is tied for the lead with 2.2 steals per game in conference play.
3. Hawaii Rainbow Wahine
>> Records: 15-14, 13-7 BWC
>> Wednesday’s opponent: Cal State Fullerton
>> Coach: Laura Beeman
>> Story line: The Rainbow Wahine didn’t have a Big West Player of the Week this season, which may be the way Beeman likes it. When UH is clicking the scoring is spread throughout the lineup. The Wahine have lost four players to season-ending injuries, but the emergence of 6-foot-4 freshman Imani Perez contributed to a 4-1 finish. Perez is averaging 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds over that span. Meilani McBee can catch fire from 3-point range and Daejah Phillips can score or facilitate when she gets into the paint. Kallin Spiller averages a steady 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
>> Player to watch: After being shut out in a loss at Long Beach State on Jan. 14, Lily Wahinekapu has scored in double figures 13 of the past 15 games. She leads UH with 11.9 points per game and 82 assists. Her ball-handling and decision-making contributed to UH committing a season-low six turnovers against UC Santa Barbara last Saturday.
4. UC Davis Aggies
>> Records: 16-13, 12-7 BWC
>> Wednesday’s opponent: UC Santa Barbara
>> Coach: Jennifer Gross
>> Story line: Gross led UC Davis to the 2019 and ’21 tournament titles and the Aggies have a case to be regarded as the hottest team in the bracket after closing the regular season with road wins over UC Santa Barbara (80-59) and Long Beach State (65-56) last week. Guard Evanne Turner won the Big West’s scoring title with 15.1 points per game and leads the conference with 77 3-pointers.
>> Player to watch: Guard Tova Sabel (11.8 ppg) has scored in double figures in eight straight games and dropped 25 at LBSU on Saturday.
5. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
>> Records: 19-11, 12-8 BWC
>> Wednesday’s opponent: UC Davis
>> Coach: Bonnie Henrickson
>> Story line: The Gauchos are the highest-scoring team in the Big West (66.7 points per game) but dropped from third to fifth with losses to UC Davis and UH last week. Guard Alexis Tucker is a smooth scorer and averaged 14.5 points per game, and 6-foot-4 center Ila Lane remains one of the conference’s most imposing players in the paint with 11.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
>> Player to watch: Guard Anya Choice set season highs with 23 points and four 3-pointers against UH last Saturday.
6. Cal State Fullerton Titans
>> Records: 14-15, 9-11 BWC
>> Wednesday’s opponent: Hawaii
>> Coach: Jeff Harada
>> Story line: The Titans got out to a 2-6 start in Big West play, but Harada, a Hawaii Baptist Academy graduate and former Hawaii Pacific University coach, has Fullerton on a three-game winning streak — with a 10.3 point margin per game — to climb into the top six and out of a first-round game. Guards Fujika Nimmo and Una Jovanovic both average 14.5 points to tie for second in the Big West. Jovanovic ranks second in the league in shooting 42%.
>> Player to watch: Forward Ruby MacDonald averages just three points per game for the season, but went 8-for-8 from the field with seven 3-pointers in two 12-point performances last week.
7. Cal Poly Mustangs
>> Records: 10-17, 7-12 BWC
>> Today’s opponent: UC Riverside
>> Coach: Shanele Stires
>> Story line: The Mustangs had a three-game winning streak interrupted by UC Irvine’s cancellation, then dropped their next two before a win over UC Riverside last Saturday in a preview of today’s first-round game. Annika Shah, a 5-foot-3 sophomore, leads the team with 9.7 points per game.Oumou Toure was averaging 9.6 ppg, but hasn’t played since Feb. 18.
>> Player to watch: ‘Iolani alumna Taylor Wu went 5-for-7 from the field with two 3-pointers off the bench last Saturday to help Cal Poly complete the season sweep against UCR.
8. Cal State Northridge Matadors
>> Records: 7-23, 6-14 BWC
>> Today’s opponent: CSU Bakersfield
>> Coach: Carlene Mitchell
>> Story line: The Matadors jumped out to a 3-0 start to Big West play, including a win over Long Beach State, then lost nine in a row and closed the regular season with a 66-58 loss at Hawaii last Thursday. The Matadors have a career 1,000-point scorer in guard Jordyn Jackson and another right on the cusp in Tess Amundsen (991), but are allowing a league-high 68 points per game overall and 64.1 in Big West games.
>> Player to watch: Amundsen remains one of the most productive scorers in the conference with 14 points per game and shoots 48% from 3-point range.
9. CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners
>> Records: 6-22, 3-17 BWC
>> Today’s opponent: Cal State Northridge
>> Coach: Greg McCall
>> Story line: The Roadrunners nearly derailed Hawaii’s title run in last year’s quarterfinals, but offensive production has escaped the Roadrunners for much of the season and they average a league-low 50.8 points per game. The Roadrunners have lost nine in a row and secured the ninth seed thanks to two wins over UC Riverside.
>> Player to watch: Hennie van Schaik, a 6-3 forward, is CSUB’s most consistent scoring threat with 11.5 ppg.
10. UC Riverside Highlanders
>> Records: 5-25, 3-17 BWC
>> Today’s opponent: Cal Poly
>> Coach: Nicole Powell
>> Story line: The Highlanders have lost eight straight and were held under 50 points in four consecutive games before closing the regular season with a 63-50 loss to Cal Poly on Saturday. They shoot a league-low 33% from the field overall and 24% from 3-point range.
>> Player to watch: Guard Jordan Webster, whose older brother Justin began his career at Hawaii, is the Highlanders’ top threat with 12.7 points per game with 52 3-pointers. She’s scored in double figures in each of the past eight games.
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Compiled by Jason Kaneshiro, Star-Advertiser
