Wanna get away?

When you’ve been blown out six straight games at home, the prospect of the farthest road trip in program history is the stuff of airline commercials.

The Hawaii women’s basketball team (1-6) gets a much needed change of pace after flying about 5,000 miles to New York for games against Army (5-2) today at West Point and Columbia (1-5) on Saturday on the outskirts of the Big Apple.

Whereas caliber of opponent could be used to justify several lopsided losses so far this season, distance and travel fatigue could theoretically come into play for these two games.

But UH coach Dana Takahara-Dias doesn’t subscribe to that theory.

"Basketball’s basketball. There’s no excuses if we travel nearly 5,000 miles to play," she said from New York on Wednesday night. "It’s still a regulation court. It’s still an opponent. We’re actually excited for the chance to compete on the East Coast and represent Hawaii."

It took about 17 hours bridging Monday and Tuesday, including a 3 1⁄2-hour layover in Las Vegas, for UH to arrive at chilly Newark, N.J., where the team will stay for the duration of the trip.

Such a journey is rare, though not unprecedented for UH teams. The Warriors football team played at Army in 2010, coming away with a 31-28 win.

UH got in a full practice at West Point on Wednesday to acclimate to the military campus.

The Wahine are still searching for their first Division I win this season. They lost by an average margin of 20.5 points in six games against D-I teams over the past two weeks.

This is as good a time as any to prep for some of the distant travel to be had in Western Athletic Conference play.

"We always enjoy home games … but we felt it was important to take a trip during the nonconference schedule. Make sure we’re able to travel and compete on the road," Takahara-Dias said.

For senior backup center Carlotta Mingo, the trip was a chance to go home and visit family. The Guyana native graduated from South Shore High in Brooklyn.

"Everybody’s just excited to go to New York. Everybody’s just excited to see something different and to show people out here what Hawaii has to offer," said Mingo, who said her favorite local site is Times Square.

That’s another purpose of the odyssey — the educational experience. Times Square is one of several landmarks the team will visit, along with the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center Memorial.

Takahara-Dias said the coaches would also use the trip to expand UH’s recruiting base in the area.

Senior forward Breanna Arbuckle is coming off a career-high 22-point effort against then-No. 24 Texas on Sunday, raising her season average to 12.1. Sophomore forward Kamilah Jackson leads UH with averages of 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.