Box Score ST. GEORGE, UT – The Silverswords lost 86-56 to the Red Storm of Dixie State in Chaminade's PacWest Conference opener. CUH got off to a strong start and led 6-2 following a three-point play from senior forward
Rhani Kaneaiakala (Waimanalo, HI/Kamehameha) just over a minute into the contest.
The Red Storm responded to Chaminade's early success with a 43-10 run to lead 45-16 with under four minutes left in the first half of action. The Silverswords answered with an 11-6 run to end the half and cut the Dixie State lead to 51-27 at the half.
Much like the first half, the second half featured both teams going on offensive runs. Dixie State went on a 21-8 run to start the half and led CUH 72-35 with ten minutes left in the PacWest contest. Although the game may have seemed out of reach, Chaminade continued to show resolve and responded to the large run with an impressive 12-0 run of their own. The run, courtesy of four consecutive three's, left Chaminade trailing 72-47 with eight minutes left in the contest. Senior point guard
Dianna Zane (Honolulu, HI /Roosevelt) connected on two of those three's while
Nikki Tauau (Oxnard, CA/Pacifica) and sophomore
Erika Olsen (Sumner, WA / Sumner) added the other two. The Red Storm held off the Swords down the stretch and earned the thirty-point victory, 86-56.
Dianna Zane led Chaminade with 18 points, going 3-5 from three and 9-10 from the free throw line. Freshman guard
Sabrina Angle (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) added 11 points, going 3-7 from three.
Chaminade shot 27% from the floor on the evening. Dixie State shot 54% from the floor. The Silverswords excelled at the free throw line, going 16-21 from the line, good for 76%.
Dixie State was led by Kaylah Miller with 18 points. The Silverswords lost the rebounding battle to the Red Storm, 51-28.
Coach Keanini commented on the contest: “I'm very satisfied with the effort. WE had great energy and did a lot of good things. One Dixie run really hurt us, but they have great size and got a lot of second chances due to their rebounding.”
Chaminade falls to 0-4 and 0-1 in the PacWest. The Red Storm improves to 4-3 and 2-0 in the PacWest. Chaminade is back in action on Dec. 5th at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, AZ. Tip is set for 4:30 PM MT at GCU Arena.
