The University of Hawai‘i women’s basketball team’s season ended Thursday with a 63-46 loss to UNLV in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) at Cox Pavilion.
The Big West regular-season champions finished 22-10 after their fourth straight postseason appearance. UH started strong but trailed 27-20 at halftime before UNLV (26-7) pulled away with an 11-0 third-quarter run. The Lady Rebels advanced to face Florida in the second round.
Senior guard Lily Wahinekapu led UH with 18 points, finishing her career with 1,114 points (18th all-time) and 122 three-pointers (7th in program history). She was one of six seniors playing their final game, along with Hallie Birdsong, Kelsie Imai, MeiLani McBee, Brooklyn Rewers, and Mia ‘Uhila.
UH opened with an 8-0 run, but UNLV took control behind Meadow Roland (16 points) and Amarachi Kimpson (14). Wahinekapu’s late surge cut the deficit to 11, but the Rebels held firm.
The loss concludes Laura Beeman’s 13th season, marking UH’s ninth postseason appearance under her leadership and the program’s 20th overall.
Mahalo Hawai‘i for the love and support throughout a special journey 🌈🤙#GoBows #SISTAHHOOD pic.twitter.com/Ze4DhXUmXz
— Hawai‘i Women's Basketball (@HawaiiWBB) March 21, 2025
