WOMEN’S BASKETBALL / BIG WEST TOURNAMENT : Hawaii Favored at Long Beach Arena

Hawaii, which won a regular-season women’s basketball conference championship for the first time in its history, is favored to win the 10th Big West Conference tournament.

The 19th-ranked Rainbow Wahines (26-3) open the eighth annual event at the Long Beach Arena against Nevada (4-14) at 1 p.m. today, followed by 21st-ranked Nevada Las Vegas (22-4) vs. Cal State Fullerton (8-18) at 3, defending champion UC Santa Barbara (15-11) vs. once-dominant Cal State Long Beach (9-16) at 7 and Pacific (19-7) vs. New Mexico State (16-10) at 9.

Under a new format approved by coaches, Thursday’s semifinals will be seeded based on today’s results. The highest-seeded team among the first-round winners will play the lowest at 7 p.m., with the others playing at 9.

The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m.

With Jennifer Hurt averaging 17 points and 15 rebounds last weekend, Hawaii, which competes in the Western Athletic Conference in men’s sports, swept a two-game series with Las Vegas at Honolulu to claim the regular-season title. Hurt’s efforts included a career-high 17 rebounds in Sunday’s 82-69 victory over the Lady Rebels. Hawaii has won 17 consecutive games.

Runner-up Las Vegas won 18 consecutive games at one point, but has lost three of its last five.

Santa Barbara, the only Big West team to defeat Hawaii, was a 68-60 winner over Long Beach in last year’s final, earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Gauchos finished the regular season by losing two of their last three, but have won five in a row against Long Beach.

Long Beach, which won its final two regular-season games, has advanced to the tournament final each of the last seven years.

The 18th Big West men’s tournament starts Friday and runs through Sunday. Then, after five years at the Long Beach Arena, both postseason tournaments will move next year to the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.