The Rainbow Wahine basketball team hopes to get through its season-opening road trip together.

And they'll have a sizeable following of fans to help them through.

Hawai'i opens its season on Tuesday at UC Riverside. Hawai'i, 8-20 last year, plays at UCLA on Thursday and Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.

"It's going to take mental toughness to get through, practice, games, practice, games, practice, games," said sophomore guard Briauna Linton, one of three Rainbow Wahine who grew up in Southern California. "We have to stay as a team and stay focused and be prepared for whatever the teams throw at us."

It's the first time since 1982 the Rainbow Wahine have opened the season on the Mainland. They started last season in Hilo.

"Since some of us are from there, we have fans over there, so we'll have support," Linton said. "It's not nervous, it's different going away from home. The refs won't be giving you all the calls that you'll get at home. We just have to stay strong."

Coach Dana Takahara-Dias said the trip will help her team prepare for future road trips. The Rainbow Wahine play in a Las Vegas tournament in December before Western Athletic Conference road games start in January. To address the amount of class time missed, there will also be an academic adviser with the team.

"We look at it like we have more time to prepare for our games," Takahara-Dias said. "Obviously our players will not be going and attending classes, so we have quite a bit of time to prepare what our scheme will be and against our opponents, too. It will be a wonderful time to concentrate on basketball."

The Rainbow Wahine expect a large group of fans at this week's games. Linton, junior guard/forward Allie Patterson and point guard Jennifer Hamilton all grew up in the area, as did assistant coaches Da Houl and Serenda Valdez. Sophomore guard Courtney Gaddis' father lives in the area and the team has already given away all of the tickets they were allotted for the games.

"Mom, dad, cousins, uncles, grandparents, friends, I invited everybody," said Patterson, who is from Rancho Cucamonga. "I play better in front of my family, so I'm not nervous."

UC Riverside (0-1) opened the season Friday with an 86-63 loss to Miami at home in which just eight players suited up due to injuries. The Highlanders finished 19-12 with a WNIT appearance last season. UC Riverside lost all five starters from last year's team and return three players and six who redshirted.

"Riverside has tall guards, so they're going to play a little more like us, so we'll have to bang it in the post," Patterson said.

Darxia Morris had 12 points to lead UCLA (0-1) in yesterday's 61-55 loss to Illinois State. The Bruins return 10 players from last year's 19-12 team, including four starters and 6-foot-6 senior reserve Moniquee Alexander.

"UCLA is going to pound it in the post and have some quick guards," Patterson said. "They're going to play a halfcourt game. I don't think they can run with us at all."

Cal State Bakersfield (0-1) rallied from a 12-point deficit but fell short in a 78-76 loss to Montana State at home Friday. Katie Williams scored 22 points and has scored in double figures in 18 straight games.

The Roadrunners, an independent team, return nine players from last year's 19-10 team and are in their fourth and final year of a transition period from NCAA Division II to Division I.

Hawai'i's home opener is Nov. 27 against 16th-ranked Arizona State in the Rainbow Wahine Classic.