HONOLULU, HI- The Swords won another battle with UH-Hilo, this time by five, 83-78. The Vulcans led the Swords 40-38 at the half.
Chaminade came out determined to start the second half, claiming the lead in the early moments. The Swords found their rhythm and went out to a double-digit lead late in the final twenty minutes. UH-Hilo did not quit, cutting the game to three points multiple times in the final few minutes. The Swords made their free-throws and preserved the victory, 83-78.
The Vulcans got a huge night from senior Justin Smith, who proved to be an offensive force, connecting on 13-16 shots on his way to 32 points and 9 rebounds.
Junior center
Mamadou Diarra (Bamako, Mali/Stoneridge), after limited opportunities in the first half, dominated the second half, finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks. Sophomore sharpshooter,
Waly Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali/Patterson) had one of his best nights at Chaminade, tallying 16 points and 7 rebounds in thirty minutes.
All Pac West performer
Steven Bennett (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey) had an impressive night, tallying 12 points and 10 assists. The Swords as a team knocked down twelve three's on the night.
CUH guard
Dominique Cooks (Wollongong, AUS/ Holy Spirit College) was impressive in the victory, tallying 14 points and 4 assist in twenty-six minutes of action. Junior De'Andre Haskins (Long Beach, CA/Jordan) had four points, four rebounds and a steal.
The Swords won the battle of the glass over UH-Hilo by one, 35-34. Senior
Shane Hanson (Canyon Lake, CA/Temescal Canyon) was red-hot from three knocking down five three-pointers, tallying 19 points to go with 4 rebounds.
Coach Mahar was pleased with the second half: “We did a nice job in the second half getting the ball moving, and our offense was better because of it. Hilo gave us a very good test and I'm happy that we came out of it with a W.”
UH-Hilo was led by Justin Smith with 32 points, while Lavell Shipman added 13 points.
Chaminade moves to 12-7 with the win, 5-2 in the Pac West. UH-Hilo goes to 13-7, (5-4 in the Pac West) with the defeat. The Swords are back in action at HPU (Blaisdell Center) on February 8th at 7:30 PM HT.
