HENDERSON, Nev. – UC Riverside fell to top-seeded Hawaii 69-55 on Friday in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. 
 
Loss aside, UCR's 2021-22 season ended with a six-game turnaround while winning eight of their final nine games with a bright future ahead. 
 
"We have people who believe in who we are as a staff, and when you piece that together with a great university and a great location, it's a recipe for success. We've made tremendous growth and we're going to continue to build on that."
 
The early going of Friday's semifinal took a very defensive tone, as UC Riverside held the Rainbow Wahine to 1 of 9 from the field to start the afternoon. 
 
Jada Holland led UCR at the half with five points, while Keilanei Cooper led the way with four rebounds. Free throws kept the Highlanders in the ball game with a 7-for-10 clip in the first 20 minutes. 
 
Holland led the Highlanders in Friday's matinee with 15 points, followed by 12 from Olivia West in her final game in the Inland Empire. 
 
UCR outscored Hawaii 34-26 in the second half, showing their character as a third quarter team while making 3 of 6 field goals to start the second half. 
 
The Highlanders held Hawaii to just 15 percent from the field in the third quarter while outscoring the Rainbow Wahine 18-7 in the third frame, effectively closing the gap to 50-39 entering the fourth quarter thanks to a late 14-2 run. Nine of the first 14 points came from the free throw line.