The score was even between UC Riverside (UCR) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at 60-60 with time winding down in overtime. With the game on the line, the ball found its way to sophomore guard Jordyn Marshall. She drove to the hoop and finished a contested layup as time expired. Marshall’s game-winner extended UCR’s winning streak to four games going into their road matchup against the back-to-back champions.
This season, the Rainbow Wahine have picked up right where they left off. Like the Highlanders, Hawaii entered this contest coming off an overtime win and carrying a four-game winning streak. They sit on top of the Big West standings thanks to their undefeated conference record at home. Led by junior guards Lily Wahinekapu and Daejah Phillips, the Rainbow Wahine had extra motivation to win this game.
When these two teams met in Riverside earlier this year, the Highlanders won 66-58 off the back of senior guard Jordan Webster’s 28 points. With this also being Hawaii’s senior night for guards Ashley Thoms and Olivia Davies, the Rainbow Wahine were especially hungry to win this big game. The Highlanders knew they had their work cut out for them.
Right from tip-off, senior Julia Stenberg and sophomore Makayla Jackson showed they were up for the challenge. They each showed off the hustle with offensive rebounds and steals. These extra offensive opportunities helped UCR get out to an early lead. After a corner triple from fifth-year guard Ryanne Walters, she found Jackson in the same spot for a three of her own.
After Hawaii’s junior forward Jacque David and Jackson traded 3-pointers, the first TV timeout of the game came at a good time for the Rainbow Wahine. Coming out of the break, David turned the tide in favor of the home side. She drilled a transition three and then forced a travel call against redshirt senior Mathehya Bryant. With the crowd back into it, the Rainbow Wahine retook the lead with a 7-0 scoring run.
A crafty bucket from Marshall ended UCR’s scoring drought, but the Highlanders still found themselves down 14-11 after the first quarter.
The Rainbow Wahine came out of the gates quickly to start the second quarter. Junior guard Meilani McBee and Wahinekapu hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions for Hawaii. For the Highlanders, Jackson did whatever she could to keep her team in the game. Despite being one of the smallest players on the court, she continued to fight for offensive rebounds and score tough buckets inside.
While Jackson was carrying the offensive load for UCR, Webster was struggling to find her offensive rhythm. It was evident that the Rainbow Wahine remembered what happened in their previous meeting and wouldn’t give her an inch of space. They denied her the ball with aggressive off-ball defense. When Webster looked to score inside, help defenders were ready to collapse on her. They were happy to send her to the charity stripe, but Webster wasn’t getting anything easy.
With junior forward Esther Matarranz unavailable and Bryant in foul trouble, coach Brad Langston was forced to send out smaller lineups. Phillips in particular was a nuisance on the glass for the Highlanders. She made her presence felt by drawing fouls and getting well-timed steals. A late run in the quarter from Hawaii gave them a 30-19 lead into halftime.
The second half wouldn’t represent a turn of events for the Highlanders. The Rainbow Wahine kept rolling as Davies knocked down a pair of three-pointers to start the half. After Webster, Walters and Jackson failed to convert on a 3-on-1 fastbreak, UCR quickly found themselves down 40-20. To credit the Highlanders, they refused to give up.
Coming out of the timeout, they would go on a 7-0 run and would eventually cut the lead to 8. After a rather smooth first half, the second half turned really scrappy. There were many fights for loose balls and extracurriculars in between plays. Webster and Jackson in particular were fearless when it came to battling for rebounds and 50/50 balls. Hawaii would go on to win 62-51 and strengthen their grip on the #1 seed in the Big West.
While Webster failed to find her offensive groove, Jackson has proved she can be a secondary scorer for the Highlanders without sacrificing her vital defensive contributions. She finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds while having to guard Wahinekapu on the defensive end. Jackson held the All Big-West First Team guard and former Freshman of the Year to just 8 points and a poor assist-to-turnover ratio of 1:3.
After tonight’s performance, Jackson has reached double-digits in scoring in 4 of her last 5 games. With just two games left before the Big West tournament, the Highlanders are going to need their secondary scorers like Jackson to pick up the slack during Webster’s off nights. After the tough loss to Hawaii, UCR will look to get back on track on the road against Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m.
