HONOLULU — Lily Wahinekapu shifted direction in transition and made for the top of the key. MeiLani McBee crossed behind her and Wahinekapu and dropped off a behind-the-back bounce pass to McBee, who collected and shot the ball in one motion.
Swish. Chills.
"I told her I was gonna get her one," Wahinekapu said.
The "one" was the 206th 3-pointer of McBee's five year Hawaii basketball career — the record-breaker that she swore she would accomplish going into her fifth and final season.
That it came on her final game appearance in the Stan Sheriff Center was not lost on the Saturday night crowd of 2,646 (3,579 tickets issued) that erupted on her shot to match Amy Atwell at 205 in the third quarter and the record-breaker in the fourth.
[Note: See below for more photos of Hawaii women's basketball senior night against CSUN.]
She chest-bumped Wahinekapu and raised “3s” with her fingers on her way down the court on the latter.
By that point — really by the end of the first quarter — the outcome was well in hand, as the Rainbow Wahine claimed the outright Big West regular-season championship for the second straight year, and third time in four years, with a 62-36 rout of Cal State Northridge.
The Rainbow Wahine (22-8, 16-4 Big West) are the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big West championships in Henderson, Nev., and will play a to-be-determined opponent in the semifinals at 9 a.m. Hawaii time on Friday.
McBee missed her first five of the game and appeared to be pressing until she sank two of her last three. She checked out soon after setting the mark with 7:38 remaining.
"(Coach Laura) Beeman’s always said, let the game come naturally to me. So that's what I kind of did the rest of the way," said McBee, a native of Kennewick, Wash., and the UH record-holding in games played (138) and 3-point attempts (599). "I know my shots weren't falling in the first half. So I was like, just let the game come to me. And so it happened when it needed to happen."
UH honored six outgoing players — point guard Wahinekapu, guard Kelsie Imai, guard Mia ‘Uhila, center Brooklyn Rewers, McBee, and guard Hallie Birdsong after the game.
"This'll definitely go down in my history books as a very special team," Beeman said.
"(It's) the love these guys have for each other," the 13th-year program leader said. "You know, every senior night brings something so remarkable, so unique, so different. And each one of them talked about how special each one was to each other and how they were sisters."
Wahinekapu performed a traditional Polynesian dance after her senior shot, which for Beeman called to mind the senior night performances of Shawna Kuehu and Ashleigh Karaitiana early in her UH tenure. Wahinekapu was joined by her grandmother, Fa'asaosao Lefotu.
"Tori (Ritorya Tamilo) helped me choreograph that dance, and my sister (Jovi Lefotu) helped me," Wahinekapu said. "But yeah, it was just a last-minute thing; I had one week to prepare. I expected my family to come out and support me, so it made me feel better doing the dance, because I'm no dancer."
Wahinekapu, an Iolani School graduate from Kaneohe who transferred from Cal State Fullerton after her freshman season, scored 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting to move to No. 18 in UH career scoring at 1,084 points, surpassing Brenda McCunn.
She continued to sign autographs and hug well-wishers well after the Stan Sheriff Center announced it was closed for spectators.
"I expect nothing less when living in Hawaii, but I'm so super grateful for everyone that came out tonight, and my family for supporting me, for supporting me for the past 22 years," Wahinekapu said. "Just a lot of love right now in the air."
Beeman gave Wahinekapu, ‘Uhila, McBee, Imai and Rewers the start, then started Birdsong in the backcourt to start the second half.
The coach got visibly emotional when Birdsong, a four-year walk-on out of Kalani High, scored in the second half.
"It wasn't even a decision," Beeman said about starting Birdsong coming out of the break. "It was just gonna happen, regardless of the score, regardless of where we were. That young lady deserves to get that type of recognition."
Two seniors who are not longer active members of the team, guard Daejah Phillips and forward Jacque David, did not participate in the ceremony. David, who took a medical disqualification early in the season, attended and greeted teammates on the court. Phillips, an All-Big West first-teamer last season, remains indefinitely inactive for undisclosed reasons.
Imai, a Waiakea High graduate and one of just eight players in program history to surpass 300 career assists, scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds with three assists. A large contingent from Hawaii Island was on hand for her.
Rewers, an Idaho native, joined the program her sister Lauren once played for as a transfer from Michigan State two years ago. She grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in front of her parents in her final home appearance.
Former UH center Nnenna Orji scored 15 points with four rebounds for CSUN (4-25, 2-18) in her final career game.
Note: This story has been updated with quotes, details and photos.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
