HONOLULU, HI- The Swords defeated cross-town foe Hawaii Pacific for the second time this season tonight at the Blaisdell Center by a score of 72-65 in a Pac West Conference tussle.
The Swords got out to an early 6-0 lead, but HPU fought back and led by 9 late in the first half. CUH made another run and the Sea Warriors led by one at the break, 36-35.
Chaminade controlled the paint all game long. Junior center
Mamadou Diarra (Bamako, Mali/Stoneridge) had a huge night, scoring 15 points to go along with 19 rebounds. Senior
Shane Hanson (Canyon Lake, CA/Temescal Canyon) continues his impressive shooting from three knocking drilling six three-pointers to tally 20 points to go with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Senior
Steven Bennett (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey) ran the show, tallying 16 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. Chaminade controlled the glass, defeating HPU on the backboards, 42-28.
Junior De'Andre Haskins (Long Beach, CA/Jordan) filled the stat sheet, scoring 7 points, while grabbing 3 rebounds and an assist. Haskins crucial three-point play with two minutes left made a one point game a two-possession game in Chaminade's favor.
The Swords went 7-9 from the line in the final minutes to preserve a hard-earned road victory.
Coach Mahar on the win: “We had to battle to get that victory. It wasn't pretty, but we were able to make plays down the stretch when we needed to.”
The Sea Warriors were led by LaBrent Chappell with 15 points, while Jason Jackson added 12 points.
Chaminade moves to 13-7 with the win, 6-2 in the Pac West. HPU goes to 10-12, (5-5 in the Pac West) with the defeat. The Swords are back in action at first place BYU-Hawaii in Laie, HI on February 11th at 7:30 PM HT.
