By WES NAKAMA
By WES NAKAMA
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii men’s and women’s basketball teams will each wrap up their Big West Conference regular seasons this weekend.
The Rainbow Wahine (20-7 overall, 12-2 Big West) have already clinched the conference regular season title with a game to spare – at home against Cal State Fullerton (10-17, 4-10) at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s game will be televised live statewide on OCSports and broadcast live on radio via NBC Sports Radio AM 1500.
The “Senior Night” game has been designated as a “White-Out” with all fans encouraged to wear white. After the game, seniors Shawna-Lei Kuehu, Ashleigh Karaitiana, Morgan Mason and Shawlina Segovia will be honored.
The conference title is the Rainbow Wahine’s first since UH won the Western Athletic Conference crown in 1998. Hawaii’s 12-game winning streak is the program’s longest since a 19-game run in the 1997-98 season. The Rainbow Wahine also are enjoying a 14-game conference home win streak that dates to last season, and the 20-win season is UH’s first since 2001-02.
The regular season championship also guarantees a third straight postseason appearance, since the Big West regular season champ is assured of a WNIT berth if it does not win the conference tournament and does not receive an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
The Rainbow Wahine are coming off a 47-46 home victory over Long Beach State, in which Kuehu led the way with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals. She continues to lead the team in scoring (12.4 points per game), rebounding (6.7 rpg), blocked shots (33) and steals (38), and is tied for the lead in assists (2.6 apg).
Karaitiana is second on the team with 10.3 ppg and 34 steals and leads the team in 3-point goals with 37.
The UH men will conclude its Big West regular season at 5 p.m. Saturday at Cal State Fullerton (9-20, 1-13). The Rainbow Warriors were 19-11 overall, 7-7 Big West entering Wednesday’s “Senior Night White-Out” vs. UC Santa Barbara.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and carried live on radio via ESPN 1420 AM.
RAINBOW WARRIORS SPIKERS RETURN HOME VS. PEPPERDINE: The sixth-ranked UH men’s volleyball team returns home to the Stan Sheriff Center for a pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches against No. 5 Pepperdine on Friday and Sunday.
Friday’s match is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised live statewide on OCSports and broadcast live via radio on ESPN 1420 AM, and Sunday’s 5 p.m. match will be broadcast live on radio via NBC Sports Radio AM 1500.
The Rainbow Warriors are 13-3 overall, 10-1 in the MPSF coming off a pair of road victories at Long Beach State. Pepperdine is 13-2, 9-2.
UH has won six straight matches, its longest win streak since 2011, and the 13-3 start is the program’s best since 2002. The Rainbow Warriors are tied for second with Brigham Young in the MPSF standings, behind first-place UC Irvine.
Sophomore Kupono Fey hit a career-high .556 in the victory at Long Beach State last Saturday.
Pepperdine (13-2, 9-2) is coming off a sweep of Stanford.
RAINBOW WAHINE HOST OUTRIGGER RESORTS SPRING FLING: The UH softball team is playing host to the Outrigger Resorts Spring Fling Tournament running until Sunday at Rainbow Wahine Stadium.
Hawaii will Oregon State at 6 p.m. Friday, Utah at 4 p.m. Saturday and Utah at noon Sunday.
The Rainbow Wahine were 12-8 entering Wednesday’s game.
BASEBALL TEAM AT HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC: The UH baseball team will play three games at the Houston College Classic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
The Rainbow Warriors (5-8) will face Baylor at 8:05 a.m. Hawaii time Friday, Nebraska at 8:05 a.m. HST Saturday and No. 8-ranked Houston at 2:05 p.m. HST on Sunday.
All three games will be broadcast live on radio via ESPN 1420 AM.
UH is coming off three straight losses at Pepperdine.
RAINBOW WAHINE SWIMMER ALKHALDI SELECTED FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: UH senior Jasmine Alkhaldi has been selected to participate in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships March 19-21 at Greensborogh, N.C.
Alkhaldi will swim in the 50 freestyle and 200 free. She led the Rainbow Wahine to UH’s first MPSF championship two weeks ago, winning the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free by setting meet records in all three events. Alhaldi also participated in the Rainbow Wahine’s winning relay teams in the 200 free, 200 medley, 400 free and 800 free, giving her seven gold medals overall and clinching first-team All-Conference honors.