UCLA highlights Hawaii women’s basketball 2024-25 home schedule

The Hawaii women’s basketball team released its full 2024-25 schedule Thursday with 15 home dates for a senior-heavy team.

For the 10th time in coach Laura Beeman’s 13 seasons, the Rainbow Wahine will open on the road when they play at Portland of the West Coast Conference on Nov. 7.

UH, with eight seniors and its top six scorers back from its 20-11 Big West regular-season championship team of 2023-24, figures to be tested at several points before January.

The highlight of the dates at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center is a Dec. 1 meeting with UCLA in the American Savings Bank Rainbow Wahine Showdown. Cori Close’s Bruins are coming off an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance and enter their first season as a Big Ten member.

UH will play another power conference team, Georgia, on Dec. 21 in the San Diego Invitational hosted by San Diego State, leading into Beeman’s traditional holiday break.

Portland was an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament after winning 21 games.

UH returns 11 players, including all-conference selections Lily Wahinekapu, Daejah Phillips and Imani Perez.

“We are excited about our preseason schedule. It’s a balanced and challenging schedule that will prepare us for conference and another championship run,” Beeman messaged Spectrum News.

Other nonconference home dates are Louisiana Monroe (Nov. 22) and Eastern Washington (Nov. 24), Fresno State (Nov. 29), Tennessee-Martin (Nov. 30) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 16).

In a first for the 20-game Big West schedule, UH will host Long Beach State on Dec. 7 as part of an early week of conference competition in order to allow a regular Thursday-Saturday schedule from January to March.

UH women’s basketball 2024-25 schedule

* – Big West Conference game

Nov. 7 – at Portland

Nov. 9 – at Portland State

Nov. 22 – Louisiana-Monroe

Nov. 24 – Eastern Washington

Nov. 29 – Fresno State

Nov. 30 – Tennessee-Martin

Dec. 1 – UCLA

Dec. 7 – Long Beach State*

Dec. 16 – Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Dec. 20 – at San Diego State

Dec. 21 – vs. Georgia

Jan. 2 – at UC Santa Barbara*

Jan. 4. – at Cal Poly*

Jan. 9 – UC Riverside*

Jan. 11 – Cal State Fullerton*

Jan. 16 – at Cal State Northridge*

Jan. 18 – at Cal State Bakersfield*

Jan. 23 – UC Davis*

Jan. 25 – UC Irvine*

Jan. 30 – at UC San Diego*

Feb. 1 – at Cal State Fullerton*

Feb. 6 – Cal Poly*

Feb. 8 – UC Santa Barbara*

Feb. 13 – at Long Beach State*

Feb. 15 – at UC Irvine*

Feb. 22 – UC San Diego*

Feb. 27 – at UC Riverside*

March 1 – at UC Davis*

March 6 – Cal State Bakersfield*

March 8 – Cal State Northridge*

March 12-15 – Big West Championships, Henderson, Nev.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.