Box Score HONOLULU, HI – The Lady Swords fell to Montana State Billings this evening 84-76 in another PacWest/GNAC clash in McCabe.
Chaminade was impressive in the opening twenty minutes, as the game was evenly played in the first half. CUH led by as many as eight before trailing 37-31 at the break. The six point lead was the Yellowjackets largest of the first half. The Silverswords held their own on the glass as well, corralling 13 rebounds to MSU Billings 15 in the first twenty minutes.
CUH shot 13-24 from the floor in the first half, good for 54%, while the Yellowjackets shot 44% from the field. Billings earned the six-point halftime lead via 10 assists, while Chaminade turned the ball over 12 times in the half.
Chaminade showed renewed energy to start the second half, as a
Glacen Florita (Ewa Beach, HI/Pearl City) three tied MSU Billings at 42-42 four minutes into the second half. Chaminade's GNAC conference foe responded. With eight minutes remaining a three by MSU Billings freshman forward Monica Grimsrud extended the Yellowjacket lead to 60-50, their first double-digit lead of the contest.
Chaminade had a chance to cut the lead to six with just under four minutes remaining as
Dianna Zane's (Honolulu, HI /Roosevelt) three-point attempt rimmed out and the next Billings possession resulted in three offensive rebounds and a trip to the free-throw line that extended the lead to ten. The Yellowjackets closed out the game despite a valiant CUH effort won by a final of 84-76.
Sophomore guard
Jordan Ahakuelo (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) was impressive on both ends with 17 points (7-10 from the floor) to go along with 11 rebounds. Junior forward
Rhani Kaneaiakala (Waimanalo, HI/Kamehameha) and sophomore guard
Glacen Florita (Ewa Beach, HI/Pearl City) each added 15 points. Junior point guard
Dianna Zane (Honolulu, HI /Roosevelt) added 7 assists to lead Chaminade, while junior guard
Nikki Tauau (Oxnard, CA/Pacifica) had 13 points in defeat.
Chaminade shot 56% from the floor and held the Yellowjackets to 42%.
MSU Billings was led by with Kayleen Goggins with 18 points. The Yellowjackets and Silverswords were nearly even on the glass as Billings won that statistic 36-32.
Chaminade is back in action on Dec. 30th against Lindenwood. Tip is set for 5:00 PM HT in McCabe Gym.
The Swords move to 0-6 on the year, while Montana State Billings goes to 7-4.
