HONOLULU, HI- The Swords won an intense game with Grand Canyon tonight in McCabe Gym by a score of 83-75.
Chaminade saw great defensive energy tonight in what proved to be a classic Pac West matchup. Junior center
Mamadou Diarra (Bamako, Mali/Stoneridge) made a huge impression on the game on both ends, scoring 24 points, 10 rebounds and adding 6 blocks. CUH led 42-33 at intermission.
Grand Canyon, a battle-tested team, refused to go away, and the game was close down the stretch. Chaminade made key free throws down the stretch, and shooting 81% for the game (21-26). Swords junior De'Andre Haskins (Long Beach, CA/Jordan) finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds in the win.
Junior
Chris Curtis (Tustin, CA/Tustin) added 11 points (4-5 shooting), while junior
Matt Cousins (Santa Rosa, CA/Cardinal Newman) added 5 points and 2 rebounds. CUH guard
Dominique Cooks (Wollongong, AUS/ Holy Spirit College) tallied 5 points and 4 rebounds in seventeen minutes of action.
All Pac-West performer
Steven Bennett (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey) finished with 13 points and 4 rebounds on the night.
Coach Mahar with the win has 100 wins on his career at Chaminade University. “It was a very good college basketball game tonight. The intensity level was high at both ends. We beat a good basketball team in Grand Canyon.”
The Swords won the rebounding battle 34-27. Senior
Shane Hanson (Canyon Lake, CA/Temescal Canyon) made some key shots in twenty-eight minutes of action, scoring 12 points on the night while going 3-6 from three.
Grand Canyon was led by Kyle Speed with 14 points, while Chris Johnson and Steve Morin added 9.
Chaminade moves to 19-7 with the win, 12-2 in the Pac West. Grand Canyon goes to 14-10, (9-5 in the Pac West) with the defeat. The Swords are back in action against Dixie State at home on March 2nd at 7:30 PM HT. Dixie State is 18-6 and 11-3 in the Pac West.
