LONG BEACH, Calif. >> Things are tough with the COVID-19 virus forcing the 2020 Big West basketball tournaments to be played without spectators. Wednesday night, the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team was tough enough to meet the challenge.
UH got a total team effort to defeat Cal State Fullerton 72-59 at the Walter Pyramid. Fullerton scored the game’s first four points before the Rainbow Wahine took control. UH led by double digits for the entire second half. Although the game didn’t become a blowout, the Wahine had enough strength to keep control.
UH will play UC Santa Barbara in the semifinal round at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Santa Barbara and UH have 9-7 conference records, but Santa Barbara earned the No. 2 seed and will play its first game of the tournament on Friday. The teams split the season series with each team winning on the road.
>> Photo Gallery: Women’s basketball: Hawaii vs. Cal State Fullerton
A big story of the tournament has been Cal Poly. The eighth-seeded team has defeated two higher-seeded teams and will play top-seeded UC Davis in Friday’s other semifinal.
Julissa Tago, the 5-foot-9 senior guard from Medford, Ore., led the Wahine with 15 points. Tago had 10 points in the fourth quarter, including going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Nae Nae Calhoun, a freshman point guard, was the only other player to reach double figures with 10 points.
“They sped us up and set the tone,” Cal State Fullerton coach Jeff Harada said. “They were the better team and they deserved to win.”
Calhoun also did a good defensive job on Raina Perez, the Big West Player of the Year. Perez averaged 20.1 points per game during the regular season, but made only four of 20 field-goal attempts against UH. Calhoun had a plus-19 rating when she was on the floor.
Nine of the UH players scored, with everyone scoring at least three points and seven players having seven or more points. The team effort also followed on the bench, as the players were constantly cheering as if to make up for the missing spectators.
“Coach (Laura Beeman) preaches that you have to be ready,” said Tago, who is one of three UH players to start more than 20 games.
Beeman, whose coaching contract was set to expire this year before she received an extension through the 2023-24 season, bases her decisions on matchups, who does well in practice, and what sort of pace she wants to set.
“We have a great culture in the locker room,” Beeman said. “Players don’t care about individual points and minutes so long as we are in the winning column.”
UH snapped a 6-6 tie by outscoring Fullerton 12-1 in the final 5:38 of the opening period. Myrrah Joseph opened the run with a 3-pointer and added a layup in UH’s next possession. Tago hit two free throws and assisted when Joseph added a layup.
Jadynn Alexander made a free throw to stake the Wahine to an 18-7 lead after the first 10 minutes. Alexander earned Big West All-Defensive team honors earlier this week. Cal State Fullerton made only two of 11 field-goal attempts in the first quarter.
The closest the Titans could get was five points with 4:40 remaining in the second quarter, but Kasey Neubert scored on an offensive rebound and hit a 3-pointer to lift UH to a 31-18 advantage.
Hawaii is the No. 4 seed in the tournament and had a bye in the opening round. Fullerton (17-14) was the sixth-seeded team and defeated Long Beach State on Tuesday.
“Some of my players played more than 30 minutes in the opening game, and we were running on fumes,” Harada said.
Both coaches acknowledged the unusual nature of playing without spectators.
“It’s all about hygiene, health, and safety,” said Beeman. “We were disappointed when we found out (about the fan ban.) I tell them you play for the person to the right of you and the left of you. It’s a big deal for the country.”
