University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine women’s basketball advances to Big West Tournament semifinals in Las Vegas

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine are moving on in the Big West Basketball Tournament.

The ‘Bows beat Cal State Fullerton on Thursday in overtime to punch their ticket to the semifinals, extending their win streak to nine.

“I have all the confidence in the world in this team in what they do and how they do it. We practice these moments all the time,” said head coach Laura Beeman.

While Beeman showed confidence in her squad, there were bumps along the way.

The ‘Bows went scoreless for the first seven minutes in the fourth quarter.

However, in overtime, the Hawaii defense did not allow Fullerton to score a single point.

“I do believe that between defensive and rebounding that is what wins championships. Offense puts people in the seats because it’s fun, but you have to be able to get stops,” Beeman said. “Defense has to travel and I think it’s traveled to Henderson.”

The bright lights in Henderson weren’t a factor for Big West Freshman of the Year Bailey Flavell, who led the team with 14 points.

She and the team thanks the Hawaii fan support for the victory.

The Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson was filled with hundreds of UH fans cheering on the team.

“This is my first game playing in March in Vegas so I think it was really awesome to see the support and they come all the way from Hawaii,” said Flavell.

UH forward Imani Perez added, “We have a really good community behind us, big support. They always show out so it’s never a question that we’re gonna have people behind our backs.”

Up next, the Wahine will face UC Irvine on Friday. The UH men’s basketball team plays later that night.

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