Laura Beeman delivered a statement with a question.

“Does everybody have their mouthguard?” the Hawaii coach asked, stopping the action during the Rainbow Wahine basketball team’s practice on Monday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

After several players hustled to the locker room and back, the Rainbow Wahine reinforced the physicality of boxing out in a rough-and-tumble rebounding drill in response to being pounded on the boards in two losses last week.

“We knew it was going to be intense,” freshman forward Makenna Woodfolk said after practice. “We knew that from the jump coming out of film.

“Our coaches are really big on rebounding. We’re not doing a really good job at it, so she said rebounding is going to be in our practice plan every day now.”

The Rainbow Wahine (8-13, 4-5 Big West) were outrebounded 108-73 in losses at UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge and will look to bounce back from the road sweep in today’s 7 p.m. rematch with UCR (12-10, 6-3).

After playing six of their first nine Big West games in California, the Wahine have their next four at the Sheriff Center, where they’ve won nine consecutive conference home games dating back to a loss to UCR on Jan. 16 last year.

UH struggled across the stat sheet at Riverside last Thursday, shooting 24 percent, including 1-for-13 from 3-point range, while the Highlanders controlled the boards 53-39 in their 63-45 win. The rebounding margin widened to 55-34 in UH’s 67-56 loss at CSUN on Saturday, hence the emphasis in practice when the Wahine returned to Manoa.

“If you’re not playing all areas of the game with intensity you can’t expect to shoot the ball at a high percentage. It doesn’t work that way,” Beeman said.

“We can’t pick and choose when we want to play basketball. You can’t do things sometimes, you have to do things all the time.”

Woodfolk, a quarter of UH’s all-freshman post rotation, led UH with seven rebounds against UCR last week and enters the homestand averaging a team-high 6.1 boards per game.

Woodfolk signed with UH as a senior at Todd Beamer (Wash.) High School with the Wahine stocked in the paint. But the departures of five post players to graduation and transfers left UH’s frontcourt freshmen to jump into the rotation, with Woodfolk starting 19 of 21 games so far.

“Nerves, a lot of nerves,” Woodfolk recalled of her college debut against USC on Nov. 11. “I just wanted to get a feel for the game and just go out there and play like I know how to play.”

At a lean 6-foot-2, Woodfolk is averaging 5.5 points while adjusting to Division I basketball along with freshmen Keleah-Aiko Koloi, Taylor Donohue and Adrienne Darden. She’s tied for the team lead with 11 blocks and at least shared team-high rebounding honors in 11 games, posting double-digit boards in three.

“She’s had to be put in positions that as a freshman is pretty tough,” Beeman said. “I think the pressure at times has gotten to her and other times she’s done a fabulous job handling the pressure.

“It would have been great to have upperclassmen to show her what it really looks like. That’s something we’re going to have to continue to help her understand and develop for us.”

While enduring the inherent growing pains, Woodfolk’s on-court education included picking up post moves from the seasoned players she’s battled during the season while learning to use her skill set to her advantage.

“It’s not all about being big. It’s about technique, moving your feet and using your strength,” Woodfolk said. “I’m fast, so I use my speed, and I think that’s what I’ve learned the most, to use my strengths.”