WAHINE BASKETBALL
Rainbow Wahine playing 3 in SoCal
The season's first mainland trip has the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine camped in Los Angeles for basketball games vs. Cal State Northridge, Loyola Marymount and Southern California.
This is the most nonconference games the Wahine have ever played on the road before beginning league play. It is the second consecutive year UH coach Jim Bolla has scheduled a December trip.
"There are a couple of reasons we did it last year and said we would continue to do it," Bolla said.
"One, it's to let the NCAA know at selection time that we are willing to go on the road. Two, it helps us get ready for our first conference road trip since we have a couple new players with us. And, I just think it is a good thing to get away from playing all our nonconference games at home."
Last year, the Wahine (3-2) beat San Francisco and Santa Clara in Northern California the week before final exams.
This year the Wahine are in Southern California, and the proximity of their opponents allows the 12 players on the trip to stay in the same hotel for the week.
Because finals are next week, there is an academic advisor traveling with the team and the athletic department mandated 6 hours of study hall each day.
Tomorrow against Cal State Northridge, Bolla will go with the same starting five he used in last week's tournament, guards Janevia Taylor and Saundra Cariaga, wings Pam Tambini and Tanya Smith and center Brittany Grice.
Taylor (13.2 points per game), Grice (12.8) and Tambini (11.2) are the top scorers.
Cal State Northridge starts one sophomore and four seniors. The Matadors are not tall, with 6-foot-2 center Kristin O'Rourke the only starter over 6-0.
Ofa Tulikihihifo, a 5-11 senior forward, is the Matadors' top scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game. Jamie McCaa, who comes off the bench, LaJoyce King and Krisztina Fuleki also are averaging in double figures.
The Matadors (3-5) lost their opener, then beat Portland State and San Jose State. They lost their next four outings by an average of 15 points before upsetting Santa Clara 79-67 on Saturday.
Tulikihihifo led the way with 26 points and King grabbed 21 rebounds.
Hawaii plays Loyola Marymount (5-3) on Thursday night, then ends the trip with an afternoon game at USC (3-3) on Saturday.
The Trojans beat host Colorado 76-57 on Saturday behind Shay Murphy's 33 points and are at Utah tonight.
"Fortunately USC needed a game, so we turned a two-game into a three-game trip. They will be on the road before they play us, so they won't have a significant advantage," Bolla said.
He isn't making a big deal about playing on the road.
"It's the same as road games in conference. We have them, so we get on a plane and go play," Bolla said.
"We accomplished what we tried to do with the early schedule. I checked collegerpi.com Friday and our strength of schedule was No. 1 in the country. Our RPI was 6. Everyone else in the WAC is in the hundreds.
"Our conference is struggling and our RPI will go down when we get into conference play.
Notes: The Rainbow Wahine won the only previous game with Northridge and are 8-0 vs. LMU, but are 0-2 against USC. ... Megan Ching (Kamehameha '03), a 5-8 senior guard, is a reserve for the Matadors.