The UCI Women’s Basketball team (9-6, 3-2) fell to the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine (7-6, 4-0) 56-49, at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 11. UCI suffered its second straight loss following their defeat to UC Davis on Jan. 6, 57-60.
Despite the Rainbow Wahine’s collective 7-6 record, the team has played against stellar out-of-conference talent including No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Stanford and an 11-3 University of Washington team. All three losses came in blowout fashion, yet provided the back-to-back Big West Conference champions with lessons against elite squads.
The ‘Eaters started strong, forcing a turnover that led to senior guard Diaba Konate converting a layup. Hawai’i responded quickly with a scoop layup from junior guard Lily Wahinekapu over the outstretched arms of an Anteater defender, tying the game at two.
A UCI defensive miscue allowed the Rainbow Warriors to take their first lead on a wide open three-pointer from sophomore forward Imani Perez. Anteater freshman guard Shirel Nahum retaliated with a corner three to tie the game.
Both squads traded a pair of free throws before the ‘Eaters ramped up their defensive intensity. UCI junior guard Déja Lee got a steal on the defensive end, leading to an easy layup in transition to ignite a 7-2 run to close the first quarter.
Junior guard Nikki Tom capped off the run with a triple to propel the Anteaters to a 14-9 advantage to finish the quarter.
The second quarter was the catalyst of the Rainbow Wahine’s early comeback effort. Hawai’i began the quarter with a 6-0 spurt to retake the lead, 15-14, after Wahinekapu finished a layup through traffic.
UCI graduate guard Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba pushed the Anteaters back into the lead after a powerful layup over the Rainbow Wahine defense.
Despite the high defensive intensity and effort on loose balls by the ‘Eaters, Hawai’i matched their effort. The Anteater offense was in disarray, struggling to score throughout the second quarter.
A Lee fadeaway bank-shot jumper cut the deficit down to 19-18, with about a minute left in the half.
The Rainbow Wahine closed the half with a 20-18 advantage after the ‘Eaters scored only four points in the second quarter on 23% shooting from the field and 14% from beyond the arc in the first half.
After the game, Head Coach Tamara Inoue addressed concerns about the Anteater offense.
“We got the pieces,” Inoue said in an interview with the New University. “I think my team can score [but] they’re just not showing it right now.”
Hawai’i maintained their energy from the second quarter outmatching the Anteaters. Perez drilled a three-pointer, followed by a hook shot layup from junior forward/center Brooklyn Rewers to push the lead to 25-18.
The Rainbow Warriors continued their early dominance as Wahinekapu converted on an and-one opportunity, ballooning the lead to 29-20, capping off an 11-2 run to open the third quarter.
UCI answered back as junior guard Amelia Scharpf and senior center Nevaeh Parkinson sparked their squad with timely buckets, cutting the deficit to 29-26.
In a continued theme of the night, the defending champions shut down every Anteater run. Perez knocked down her third triple of the game to halt UCI’s rally.
The grit of the ‘Eaters allowed them to cut the lead to two after Konate dropped a floater through the teeth of the Rainbow Warrior defense.
Yet again, Hawai’i responded to an Anteater run. This time junior guard MeiLani McBee caught fire to close the third quarter. She knocked down two straight corner three-pointers, with the latter being through contact to complete the four-point play. The reigning champions closed out the quarter leading the ‘Eaters, 43-34.
Despite a difficult night on the offensive end, the Anteaters were still in striking distance entering the fourth quarter.
Lee attempted to will her team to victory, converting on a layup and drilling a contested three-pointer to position UCI to a six-point deficit, 47-41.
However, the championship DNA of the Rainbow Warriors was on full display as they figured out a way to close out the ‘Eaters. A putback layup by Perez and triple from McBee spoiled the Anteater’s comeback efforts, uplifting Hawai’i to an 11-point advantage.
The Rainbow Wahine held off the ‘Eaters in the end, 56-49, remaining undefeated in Big West Conference play.
Meanwhile, UCI suffered their first back-to-back loss this season and fell to 3-2 in conference play.
Inoue provided her thoughts on how her squad will respond to the current two-game losing streak.
“It’s good to have this bye and a couple of days off to regroup,” Inoue said. “The nice thing about basketball is that you don’t have too long to not sleep about it.”
The ‘Eaters will look to regain momentum as they return to action against the UC San Diego Tritons on Jan. 18 on the road.
Donnell Fuller is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at ddfuller@uci.edu.