Rested Rainbow Wahine return to court

The nine days off between the season opener and tonight’s game against Division II St. Martin’s is a “good and bad” situation for Hawaii women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman. The Rainbow Wahine pulled away late to beat Portland State on Nov. 4 and have had more than a week to dissect the tape before hosting the Saints (1-2) at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center tonight in a game that counts toward Hawaii’s record but not St. Martin’s. Beeman expected a challenging few practices this week with a team hungry to get back on the court. “I want to play again and I think the kids want to play again,” Beeman said Monday. “The time off is really great, because once we’re done with St. Martin’s we’re then playing five games in like 12 days or something. So we need the time to continue to grow. We need to continue to work, so this stretch has been nice, but it’s also definitely been an exercise in efficiency.” Five players scored in double figures in UH’s season opener in which seven of the 11 players Beeman used were freshmen. Saniyah Neverson, a 6-foot transfer post player from Northern Arizona, is one of two seniors Beeman played along with forward Imani Perez. Neverson, who finished with 11 points and six rebounds, is one of UH’s smaller players in the post, but her physicality and rebounding ability are welcome additions to a team that has struggled on the boards in recent years. “Watching her on film, we knew what she was going to bring, but I don’t think we could imagine what a great fit she is for our program in the locker room,” Beeman said. “Her work ethic is unbelievable on a daily basis. She plays with that edge when she comes on the floor and she kind of imposes her will onto people. She’s going to get done what she needs to get done.” Neverson said she had been in the transfer portal for a couple of weeks before she heard from the UH coaching staff. After a recruiting trip to Hawaii, the decision became an easy one. “Here we have so many talented players,” Neverson said. “After I talked to Coach B, I kind of already knew. I took my visit and I fell in love with everything about (Hawaii).” After the first week of the season, the Rainbow Wahine moved up five spots to No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Hawaii will play two other ranked teams in the poll, No. 12 Montana State and No. 16 Liberty, in the Maui Classic on Dec. 19-20 on the Seabury Hall campus in Makawao, Maui. St. Martin’s is the first Division II team Hawaii will play in the regular season since the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020-21, when UH played Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Hilo. St. Martin’s will also play in the GNAC-PacWest Challenge on Friday and Saturday against Chaminade and HPU. The Saints have one player from Hawaii on the roster in senior guard Lily Koki, a Maryknoll alumna. This is the second of seven consecutive home games to start the season for UH, which doesn’t go on the road until opening Big West Conference play at UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 4 and 6. RAINBOW WAHINE BASKETBALL At Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center Hawaii (1-0) vs. St. Martin’s (Wash.) (1-2) Time: Today, 7 p.m. TV: Spectrum Sports Radio: KKEA, 1420-AM / 92.7-FM