Rainbow Wahine earn second straight NCAA Tournament berth

HENDERSON, Nev. >> Daejah Phillips completed a three-point play with 3.4 seconds left to boost the Hawaii women’s basketball team to a 61-59 victory over UC Santa Barbara and into the NCAA Tournament.

The Rainbow Wahine, who trailed by as many as 15, scored 11 of the game’s final 13 points to win the Big West Tournament for the second year in a row.

UCSB took a 59-58 lead when Alexis Tucker hit two free throws with 6.4 seconds to go.

UH called consecutive timeouts to set up the final play. Phillips drove the lane and hit a layup while being fouled by Alexis Whitfield. The free throw capped Phillips’ 11-point fourth quarter.

The outcome was sealed when Anya Choice’s shot would not fall as time expired, triggering the Wahine’s on-court celebration.

The Rainbow Wahine will learn their NCAA Tournament opponent and game site Sunday. The selection show will air at 2 p.m. on ESPN.