Vulcans, Wahine, set for annual exhibition clash

If the UH-Hilo and UH-Manoa women’s basketball teams are tired of seeing the same faces, Wednesday provides a respite.

The Vulcans will play the Rainbow Wahine in an exhibition game for the sixth consecutive year at 7 p.m. at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

The closest the Division II Vulcans came to knocking off D-I UH was a 60-51 loss in 2011. Last year’s game got out of hand in a hurry, with the Wahine winning by 47 after dominating in the paint 48-8.

The Vulcans figure to have a good chance to be more competitive Wednesday as they return six of their seven leading scorers – Kim Schmelz and Lauren Hong averaged in double figures – from a team that finished .500 in the Pacific West Conference and contended for a postseason spot until late in the season.

On Tuesday, Hawaii was picked to finish third by the media and fifth by the coaches as it tries to defend its Big West Conference title. The Rainbow Wahine return just five players after reaching its first NCAA Tournament since 1998. Of the nine newcomers, five are true freshmen.

Junior Sarah Toeaina led all scorers last Friday in the Green vs. White game, finishing with 22 points in the 20-minute scrimmage. She averaged 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

“The team is excited. As a coaching staff, we’re excited,” UH coach Laura Beeman said in a release. “We just want to see what we look like against somebody else and what they’re going to run.”

The Rainbow Wahine are preparing for their Nov. 11 season-opener at USC.

“As far as where we are right now and what we’re dealing with, it does come at a good time because we need some confidence and we need to continue to build chemistry together,” Beeman said.

Coach David Kaneshiro and the Lady Vulcans open their regular season on Oahu, Nov. 18-19 at the Seasider Tournament. Their first home game is Dec. 4