Box Score MONMOUTH, OR – Chaminade started off the regular season on the right foot, defeating the Saints of St. Martin's 87-84 in the opening contest of the 3
rd Annual GNAC/PacWest Challenge held at the New PE Building on the campus of Western Oregon.
The first half was competitive, as a three by SMU's Eric Taylor tied the contest at 38-38 with less than two minutes remaining in the half. CUH responded with a quick 9-2 run to end the half and took a seven point lead into halftime at 47-40.
Chaminade did not let up to start the second half, going on a 13-2 run to lead 60-42 after
Rhys Murphy's fifth three of the contest. At that point in the contest Murphy was 5-5 from the arc and already had 21 points. CUH kept the lead in double-digits for most of the second half, holding off a late Saints run and won the contest, 87-84. Junior
Rhys Murphy (Sydney, Australia/Barker) a transfer from Oregon State, led Chaminade with 22 points, including a perfect 5-5 from three. Senior De'Andre Haskins (Long Beach, CA/Jordan) turned in an all-around performance, scoring 20 points while also leading the team in rebounding with 7 rebounds on the night. Sophomore
Lee Bailey (Detroit, MI/Detroit Country Day) added 15 points in the victory.
Chaminade shot 45% from three (9-20) and won the rebounding battle, 36-31.
Eric Taylor led St. Martin's with 28 points on 10-14 shooting.
Coach Bovaird discussed the win: “We are glad to get the first win of the season, but with 17 turnovers, we have a lot to get better at. We played really well for 30 minutes of the game, but we let them come back from down big. Luckily, we shot well from the field and from the free throw line.”
Chaminade's next opponent is Western Oregon on November 10
th at 4:30 PM PT. It is the final contest for Chaminade in the 3
rd Annual GNAC/PacWest Challenge. Chaminade is back in action on November 14
th in McCabe Gym. The Swords will face 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Champions Western Washington at 7:30 PM HT.
