STANFORD, Calif. —The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team couldn’t keep pace with nationally ranked Stanford in an 87-40 loss in Wednesday’s season-opener at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.
The host Cardinal, ranked 13th in the USA Today/WBCA preseason poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press poll, never trailed in winning its 25th consecutive home opener and improved to 12-0 in the all-time series with UH.
Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen led the Cardinal with 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting and 13 rebounds. Freshman forward Nunu Agara came off the bench to score 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Cardinal shot a collective 48.5% (32 for 66) from the field and went 19 for 20 at the free-throw line.
The Rainbow Wahine shot 22.4% (13 for 58) from the field against the Stanford defense. Junior forward Brooklyn Rewers led the team with eight points, including the team’s first 3-pointer of the season, and three rebounds in her UH debut. Junior guard MeiLani McBee hit two 3-pointers in the third quarter and finished with six points, along with junior guard Lily Wahinekapu.
Iriafen scored the game’s first basket and helped spark the Cardinal with eight points in the first quarter. All-America forward Cameron Brink also posted eight points in the first 10 minutes and the Cardinal raced out to a 24-12 lead.
UH struggled from the field in a 2-for-13 showing in the second quarter, while Stanford continued to pull away with a 14-0 run and took a 46-22 lead into halftime. Iriafen went into the break with 17 points and nine rebounds.
When the buzzer sounded, the Cardinal had outscored UH 46-14 in the paint and built a 60-18 rebounding advantage with 17 offensive boards contributing to 14 second-chance points.
The Rainbow Wahine continue their season-opening Bay Area road trip at Santa Clara (1-1) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. Hawai’i time and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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