The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team will begin a road trip in California by facing Cal Poly at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, February 19. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and will be available via live stream on ESPN+.
Hawai’i enters the matchup after winning eight of its last nine games and recently sweeping its homestand. The Rainbow Wahine are currently sixth in the Big West standings, trailing UC Santa Barbara by half a game. The team will play UC Santa Barbara later in the week to complete the road trip.
Freshman guard Bailey Flavell leads Hawai’i with an average of 13.2 points per game and could become the first freshman since the 2010-11 season to lead the team in scoring. Freshman guard Keiara Curtis has reached double figures in 12 of her last 14 games and averages 10.9 points per game during conference play.
Defensively, Hawai’i has recorded 150 blocked shots this season, which is the second highest single-season total in program history. The team is just 13 blocks away from breaking its record set during the 2002-03 season. Hawai’i leads the Big West and ranks fourth nationally with an average of 6.3 blocks per game, exceeding its previous program record for blocks per game.
Senior forward Imani Perez leads both the team and conference with an average of 1.83 blocked shots per game, ranking her 27th nationally. Sophomore center Ritorya Tamilo has contributed significantly with 17 blocks over her last six games, placing her third in the Big West at 1.41 blocks per game.
Senior forward Saniyah Neverson achieved her first double-double for Hawai’i against CSUN last Saturday and currently holds a field goal percentage of 55.1% in conference games, ranking second among all players.
The Rainbow Wahine also rank second in their conference and nineteenth nationally for field-goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 36.2% shooting from the field.
Hawai’i leads its series against Cal Poly with a record of 20-11 and has won nine consecutive meetings between the teams. In their most recent encounter on January 15, Hawai’i defeated Cal Poly by a score of 86-46, led by Bailey Flavell’s performance with 22 points on efficient shooting.
Cal Poly enters Thursday’s contest looking to end an eleven-game losing streak under head coach Shanele Stires, who is now in her fourth season with a record of 44-72 at Cal Poly and an overall coaching record of 138-125. Guard Vanessa McManus stands out for Cal Poly as she ranks third in scoring within the Big West Conference at an average of 17 points per game.
The coaching staff for both teams includes connections between programs: Cal Poly assistant coach Samba Johnson graduated from Chaminade University of Honolulu, while Hawai’i graduate assistant Dyesha Stahley previously played for Cal Poly from 2015 to 2019.
