HONOLULU — The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team will tip off the 2023-24 season with a road game against a national power before hosting two early-season tournaments to headline a 29-game schedule announced by head coach Laura Beeman.
Beeman enters her 12th season leading a Rainbow Wahine program aiming to build upon a second straight Big West championship and back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths.
The Rainbow Wahine will play six games at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center and three on the road in a non-conference slate that features matchups with four teams coming off postseason appearances, including three Pac-12 members. The Big West previously announced the 20-game conference schedule, which opens Dec. 30.
The Rainbow Wahine will face Hawai’i Hilo in an exhibition game on Nov. 1 before officially opening the season with a trip to Northern California to take on Stanford on Nov. 8 in Palo Alto. Stanford visited Mānoa last year on its way to a 29-6 season and a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling in the second round.
The Rainbow Wahine continue their season-opening trip at Santa Clara on Nov. 11 before playing host to the Bank of Hawai’i Classic, set for Nov. 17 and 19. They’ll take on San Francisco, a WNIT selection last season, in their home opener and face Idaho two days later.
The three-day Rainbow Wahine Showdown over Thanksgiving weekend features matchups with Air Force (Nov. 24), Idaho State (Nov. 25), and Washington (Nov. 26). Washington earned its first postseason berth since 2017 last season and advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT.
UH caps the six-game homestand against San Jose State on Dec. 3 then has an extended break before a pre-holiday trip to Los Angeles to take on UCLA on Dec. 21. The Bruins earned a No. 4 regional seed last season and advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Big West schedule opens on Dec. 30 at Cal State Fullerton and the Rainbow Wahine will begin 2024 at home against Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 4 and CSUN on Jan. 6.
They’ll alternate weekends at home and on the road and will celebrate Senior Night on March 2 against UC Riverside.
UH will close the regular season at CSU Bakersfield on March 9 before heading to Henderson, Nev., for the Big West Women’s Basketball Championship at the Dollar Loan Center. The Rainbow Wahine won their second straight tournament title last March and ended the season by facing eventual national champion LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Baton Rouge, La.
Ticket information for the upcoming season will be announced soon.
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