Dec. 18, 2003
Los Angeles, CA -
The Chaminade University basketball team played tough in the first road game of the 2003-04 season but fell 2 points short in the 60-58 loss to Cal State Los Angeles Wednesday night.
After a slow start, the Swords got a lift from backups Chris Acker and Jason Walters. Acker finished the game with a season-high 22 points while Walters led CU on the glass with 6 rebounds.
The game see-sawed back and forth with both teams gaining 6 point advantages but neither able to sustain the momentum. With 49 seconds to play in regulation, the Silverswords grabbed a three point lead on a basket by CU junior Zack Whiting. That would be the last points the Swords would score. CSULA scored the winning points with 18 seconds to play and held CU on it's last possession.
The Silverswords were unable to match the Eagles' aggressiveness as evident from the free throw statistics. The Swords were 6-8 from the line with 0 attempts in the second half, while CSULA went 13-24 for the game.
"We were in position to win, but we were unable to play strong enough on the boards to secure possession of the ball on several occasions," head coach Aaron Griess commented after the game. "When you play on the road, you have to be tougher because you're not going to get the same whistle you might get at home. Unfortunately, we haven't learned that lesson yet."
The Swords next action will be Friday night in the State Farm Roadrunner Classic in Bakersfield, California against the host team, Cal State University Bakersfield.
