Big West Basketball Tournament in Henderson Leaves Hawaii Rainbow Wahine in the Championship Game After Overtime Win
The University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine are headed to the championship game of the big west basketball tournament after an overtime semifinal victory over top-seeded UC Irvine at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The win extended Hawaii’s streak to 10 straight and set up a Saturday title-game appearance.
Big West Basketball Tournament Semifinal Goes to Overtime
Hawaii advanced with a 67-63 overtime win in Friday’s semifinal round. Guard Bailey Flavell delivered pivotal plays late, hitting a 3-pointer to tie the game in regulation with 7. 7 seconds remaining after UC Irvine took a 60-57 lead on a driving layup by Jada Wynn that ended a 54. 9-second possession extended by a shot-clock reset following three Hawaii fouls.
UC Irvine had chances to respond before the end of regulation but missed two shots prior to the final horn, sending the game into overtime.
Flavell’s Late Shot-Making, Free Throws Seal the Result
In the extra period, Flavell continued to come up big. She hit a jumper to put Hawaii ahead 64-63 with 1: 27 to play. The Wahine later regained possession and Jovi Lefotu made one of two free throws for a 65-63 edge.
After a UC Irvine miss and a Hawaii rebound, the Anteaters did not foul Flavell until 5. 4 seconds remained. Flavell, who had missed two free throws earlier in the overtime, made both this time to close out the result and secure Hawaii’s place in the final.
Key First-Half Push and Third-Quarter Response Set the Stage
The overtime finish capped a game shaped by several momentum swings. Teyahna Bond played a major role in pushing Hawaii to a 39-30 lead at halftime. Her 3-pointer gave the Wahine a 32-30 advantage with 1: 51 left in the second quarter. After a UC Irvine miss, Bond went coast-to-coast for a layup, helping Hawaii build its cushion.
Hawaii also received an unusual perimeter contribution from post player Ritorya Tamilo, who made her fourth 3 of the season. In the final seconds before intermission, Bond lofted a pass to Tamilo for a layup to finish the first-half scoring.
UC Irvine narrowed a larger deficit in the third quarter, cutting Hawaii’s lead from 42-30 to 44-42 with 2: 46 left. Lefotu answered with a decisive burst: an 8-0 personal run in the final 1: 01 of the period that restored separation and sent Hawaii into the fourth quarter ahead 52-42. During that late sequence, she hit a 3 for a 47-42 lead with 1: 01 remaining, another 3 with 0: 39 left, then a pull-up jumper with 0: 08 left.
From there, UC Irvine still forced overtime, but Hawaii’s execution in the final seconds of regulation and the closing moments of the extra period proved decisive, putting the Rainbow Wahine one win from a tournament title in Henderson.
