Hawaii women’s basketball’s version of the twin towers provided a new and exciting look showcasing just how many options coach Laura Beeman has at her disposal this season. Freshman Ritorya Tamilo, a 6-foot-5 center, spent much of Friday’s 69-64 win over Louisiana-Monroe paired on the court with 6-foot-4 junior forward Imani Perez. Tamilo was a difference-maker with 12 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and three steals and returning seniors Lily Wahinekapu and Daejah Phillips combined for 33 points to help UH get off to its first 2-1 start since 2019.
“When teams come big with two bigs, we have that luxury,” Beeman said. “We tried to really impress upon these guys after Portland that we’re just still trying to figure things out. I promise we’re not coaching them to a loss.
I think the bottom line for this group is we have a game plan and everyone knows our game plan and we have to execute.” A SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 1,701, which included more than 1,000 grade-school students taking a field trip to enjoy the rare 11 a.m.
tipoff on a Friday, saw Louisiana-Monroe (3-2) cut a 16-point deficit to one with 46 seconds remaining in the opening game of the Bank of Hawaii Classic. Wahinekapu, who scored a team-high 20 points, dribbled behind her back and then stepped back for a jumper in the key to push the lead back up to 3. Up two with 26 seconds remaining, Wahinekapu made the first of two free throws.
She missed the second, but Phillips gra.