Women’s Basketball Takes Down UC Irvine To Advance To Big West Title Game

— The University of Hawai’i girls’s basketball staff pulled off its second straight extra time win within the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Basketball Championship with a dramatic 67-63 semifinal victory over top-seeded UC Irvine Friday afternoon at Lee’s Family Forum.
With the win, the Rainbow Wahine earned their ninth total berth into the Big West championship sport and first since successful back-to-back titles in 2022 and ’23. UH will tackle No. 2 UC San Diego on Saturday at 3 pm Pacific (midday Hawai’i time) with an opportunity to hoist a trophy in its closing Big West sport.

the Big West Freshman of the Year, scored a team-high 13 factors, together with a deep three-pointer with 7.7 seconds left to ship the sport into an additional body. The New Zealand native then scored 4 of UH’s closing 5 factors in extra time, together with a jumper with 1:26 left that put the ‘Bows up for good.

Flavell’s heroics offset UC Irvine’s Hunter Hernandez prolific efficiency. The Big West Player of the Year led the Anteaters with 33 factors, but it surely wasn’t sufficient as UCI (26-6) fell to UH for the second straight time this 12 months.

The fourth-seeded Rainbow Wahine (22-10) continued their crimson scorching streak with their tenth straight win and sixteenth within the final 17 video games. Like their extra time win versus Cal State Fullerton The day earlier than, the ‘Bows closed the sport out with stellar protection, holding the Anteaters scoreless for the ultimate 3:26 of the sport.

UH additionally obtained a monster effort from its bench as reserves mixed for 31 factors, practically half the staff’s output.

It was nip and tuck for a lot of the primary half. Three-point play on the 3:10 mark gave UH a 29-27 lead. Hernandez answered proper again with a three-pointer to offer the Anteaters a 30-29 lead with 2:18 left. But UH ended the half on a 10-0 run with 5 factors from Bond and one other 5 from Tamilo, who hit his fourth three-pointer of the season, to take a 39-30 lead into the break. UH shot 50 p.c from the ground within the first half, in comparison with UCI’s 31 p.c. Bond and Tamilo went a collective 11 for 11 with 5 three-pointers within the first half.



Flavell’s hit a three-pointer to start out off the second half and UH maintained a 12-point lead and the momentum early within the third quarter. UCI would not fold, operating off 10 straight factors to chop the deficit to 44-42 with 2:46 left, forcing a UH timeout. But that is when Lefotu took over. The junior guard exploded for eight factors within the closing minute of the third quarter – highlighted by consecutive three pointers – to place UH again up by double-digits, 52-42, heading into the fourth quarter.

The junior hits back-to-back 3s and scores the ultimate 8 factors of the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/7y05OQFRJ0

— Hawai’i Women’s Basketball (@HawaiiWBB) March 13, 2026

Again although the Anteaters responded, led by Hernandez. Her 10 factors within the interval fueled an 18-5 run that put UCI in place for the comeback win. Lauryn Madsen’s three-pointer on the 3:24 mark gave UCI its first lead since halfway by means of the second quarter and Jada Wynn’s layup prolonged the result in 60-57 with simply 13 seconds left.

Enter Flavell who confidently launched a three-pointer from the left wing early in UH’s subsequent possession to knot issues up with 7.7 seconds left. Hernandez had one final search for UC Irvine however her layup was off the mark as time expired in regulation.

BIG. SHOT. BAILEY. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gx9XMkZcC6

— Hawai’i Women’s Basketball (@HawaiiWBB) March 13, 2026

Perez nailed a pair of free throws to open up extra time. UCI scored the following three factors, together with a Hernandez free throw with 3:26 left that gave the Anteaters a 63-62 lead. But that might be the final of UCI’s scoring because the Anteaters missed 5 of their six area objective makes an attempt in OT. Flavell’s jumper gave UH the lead, 64-63, with 1:26 left and UH scored the sport’s closing three factors from the charity stripe, together with a pair of free throws by Flavell 5.4 that primarily sealed the sport.

UH ended the sport capturing 42 p.c from the sphere and 11-of-25 on three-pointers and had been in a position to pull off the win regardless of going simply 8-of-15 from the free throw line with 5 misses in extra time. The ‘Bows held UCI to only 29 p.c capturing.