Box Score HONOLULU – It wasn't the most aesthetically-pleasing game to watch, but the Chaminade University men's basketball team managed to grind through and pick up a win against a foe from the always tough Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Despite being out-rebounded along with numerous missed layups and 10 missed free throws, the Silverswords hit seven second-half 3-pointers after making only three in the first and gutted out an 80-73 win over Northwood Thursday night at McCabe Gym.
Lee Bailey scored a game-high 17 points to lead four Swords (5-4) in double-digit scoring. Bailey also had five assists and four rebounds while
Kuany Kuany tallied a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
James Harper tied his season-high with 11 points while
Kiran Shastri contributed with 10.
Will Bowles led the Timberwolves (7-4) with 14 points and 11 boards while Khalid King had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
The win improved the Swords' record against Division II foes to 5-0 on the year, with all four of their losses coming against Division I opponents.
Chaminade set the tempo early with a pair of Kuany buckets and two Bailey free throws, giving CUH a 6-0 lead two minutes into the game. The Timberwolves chipped away and eventually took an 18-16 lead on Wes Wilcox's 3-pointer with 8:36 left in the first half. A Lavonte Davis basket 30 seconds later would extend NU's lead to 20-16, but the Swords answered with two jumpers from Kuany and one by Bailey to give the lead back to CUH at 22-20.
The lead would see-saw back and forth for the remainder of the half before
Tyree Harrison's layup with a minute left gave Chaminade a 33-32 halftime lead.
The opening minutes of the second half was once again a back-and-forth affair. Then with the score tied at 42, the Swords made their run, courtesy of Harper. The Phoenix native and Houston Baptist transfer scored six straight when he buried a 3-point shot, then made an old-style 3-point play, triggering a 17-4 run, giving Chaminade a 59-47 lead with 10:27 left to play.
The Timberwolves made one final push, reducing the deficit to 62-60 with five minutes left, but that would be as close as they would get. The Swords hit big shots down the stretch as Shastri knocked down a pair of 3-balls, Bailey hit two layups and a bucket from Kuany gave CUH a 75-65 lead as they held on for the win.
Chaminade was 26-of-63 (41.3 percent) from the floor while Northwood was 26-of-60 (43.3). The Silverswords were out-rebounded, 45-37, but only committed eight turnovers, their second-lowest of the season. CUH was 18-of-28 from the free throw line while NU was only 12-of-22.
Chaminade returns to action Saturday for its final non-conference game of season when they face their second-straight GLIAC foe in Lake Superior State at McCabe Gym with tip-off set for 11 a.m. The Lakers, who beat BYU-Hawai'i Thursday night in overtime, are hovering just outside the Division II Top 25 poll, which was released Tuesday.
Live streaming audio of the game will be available on goswords.com.
