The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team will play against UC San Diego for the Credit Union 1 Big West Women’s Basketball Championship title on March 14 in Henderson, Nevada. The Rainbow Wahine advanced to the final after winning two consecutive overtime games, including a 67-63 victory over top-seeded UC Irvine.
This matchup determines which team will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The game is scheduled for Saturday at Lee’s Family Forum, with tipoff at 3 p.m. Pacific Time (noon Hawai’i Time).
Hawai’i, seeded fourth and holding a record of 22-10, is making its ninth appearance in the Big West final and seeks its fifth conference championship. The team has won four previous titles—three under current head coach Laura Beeman and one under Vince Goo. This will be their last game in the Big West before moving to the Mountain West Conference.
The Rainbow Wahine have shown strong performance recently, extending their winning streak to ten games and achieving a turnaround from a slow start earlier in the season. Freshman guard Bailey Flavell led scoring in Friday’s semifinal win and is on track to become the first freshman since 2010-11 to lead the team in scoring. Senior Saniyah Neverson has also contributed significantly during this streak.
UC San Diego enters as defending champion with a record of 23-8 and shared this season’s regular-season title with UC Irvine. The Tritons are coached by Heidi VanDerveer and have defeated Hawai’i twice this season, making them the only Big West team to sweep their series against the Rainbow Wahine.
The winner of Saturday’s game will secure an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament, marking an important milestone for both programs as they look ahead to postseason play.
