HONOLULU (Interstat) — A surging Hawaii women’s basketball team will look to hand first-place UC Irvine its second consecutive loss when the Big West Conference rivals meet Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Anteaters (17-3, 6-1 Big West), who saw a seven-game win streak snapped in a 68-66 home loss to UC San Diego on Jan. 24, enter with the league’s best record. The Warriors (10-9, 5-2), however, have won four straight and are just one game back in the loss column.

UC Irvine won the first meeting this season, 50-47, in Irvine on Jan. 10. A key rematch will be at guard, where the Anteaters’ Hunter Hernandez and Hawaii’s Bailey Flavell are among the conference’s top scorers.

Hernandez, who scored 20 points in the first matchup, has been a consistent force. She is averaging 21.6 points over her last seven games, including a 27-point, 11-rebound performance against Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 1. She logged 19 points and three assists in the recent loss to UC San Diego.

Flavell has spearheaded Hawaii’s resurgence, averaging 17.3 points over the last three contests. She had 22 points against Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 22 and 17 in a win at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 24. In the loss at UC Irvine, she finished with 13 points and six assists.

The Anteaters’ defense, which allows a conference-low 55.9 points per game, will be tested by a Hawaii offense that has averaged 70.3 points during its win streak. UC Irvine has dominated the series recently, winning the last five meetings.

Thursday’s game tips off at 9 p.m. local time (midnight EST). Hawaii hosts Long Beach State on Saturday, while UC Irvine travels to Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 5.