SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team hosts Hawai'i Thursday night in a rematch of the 2023 Big West Championship Final that saw the Rainbow Wahine narrowly defeat the Gauchos 61-59. The two teams enter the contest separated by just a half-game in The Big West Standings.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos went 1-1 a week ago with a 70-41 victory over CSUN but then fell at Cal State Fullerton. The Gauchos currently sit in sole possession of second place in The Big West standings after faltering on the road.

SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WAHINE
The Rainbow Wahine currently hold the top spot in The Big West standings sitting at 6-1 in conference play and 9-7 overall. Hawai'i has won the last two Big West Basketball Championships and is the team to beat in The Big West. The Gauchos and Rainbow Wahine have matched up fairly evenly over the past eight matchups, splitting the eight games down the middle.

Hawai'i spreads their offense well with five people averaging over 7.5 points per game. Leading the Wahine in scoring is Lily Wahinekapu who averages 10.3 points per contest. Just behind her is Imani Perez who averages 9.1 points. Wahinekapu and Perez also rank second and third on the team in rebounding with Perez grabbing 5.2 boards per game and Wahinekapu pulling down 4.6.

The Rainbow Wahine digs in defensively and likes to keep the game low-scoring. They hold their opponents to just 55.8 points per game while they average 56.5 per contest. They have held four teams under 50 points so far this season.

FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and Rainbow Wahine will tipoff inside The Thunderdome on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. For those unable to attend in person the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available.