HONOLULU — Kiki Rice was instrumental in leading No. 1 UCLA to a convincing 70-49 victory over Hawaii on Sunday, marking the conclusion of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown. Rice tallied 14 of her 21 points in the first half, showcasing her scoring ability early in the game. Lauren Betts contributed 18 points, though she saw her streak of five consecutive double-doubles come to an end. Gabriela Jacquez also made a solid contribution, finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds as the Bruins improved their record to 8-0.
Rice demonstrated efficiency in her shooting, connecting on 7 of 10 attempts from the field, which included two successful three-point shots, and she converted all five of her free throw attempts. For the Rainbow Wahine, Lily Wahinekapu was the standout scorer with 10 points. Unfortunately for Hawaii, their five-game winning streak was halted. They struggled offensively, managing just 14 of 53 shooting from the field, along with a disappointing 6 of 25 from beyond the arc.
The first half saw the teams battle closely, with UCLA holding a slight advantage at 32-29.
Key insights from the game show that throughout their time in Hawaii, the Bruins never trailed, dominating their opponents and leading for all but 46 seconds of play. UCLA’s margin of victory across their three games averaged more than 45 points. Conversely, the Rainbow Wahine were without their 6-foot-5 freshman center Ritorya Tamilo, who averages 10.8 points per game, as she was sidelined and observed warm-ups in an arm sling.
A pivotal moment in the game came early in the second half when Daejah Phillips brought Hawaii within one point at 32-31 with a runner in the lane. However, Betts quickly responded with an inside basket, igniting a powerful 22-4 run for UCLA, which stretched their lead to 54-35 by the end of the third quarter.
An important statistic from the game showcased UCLA’s dominance in the paint, where they outscored Hawaii 40-14. Over the course of the tournament, they overwhelmed their three opponents with a staggering combined score of 146-26 in points scored in the paint.
Looking ahead, UCLA will meet a familiar rival when they play their first Big Ten Conference game against Washington next Sunday. Hawaii, for its part, is set to host Long Beach State in its Big West Conference opener on Saturday.
