Box Score AZUSA, CA – Third-seeded Chaminade got 18 points and six rebounds from Pac West Player of the Year,
DeAndre Haskins (Long Beach, Calif./Jordan) and 12 from Pac West third team member
Lee Bailey (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Country Day) as the Swords (19-9) advanced to the Pac West Tournament title game with a 58-45 win over second-seeded Grand Canyon at the Felix Event Center.
“What a tough, hard-nosed game,” Silverswords head coach
Eric Bovaird said. “Our guys played great defense. We are playing together and focused right now.”
Grand Canyon took a 6-4 lead with 14:20 left in the first half on a 3-pointer, then both teams went over four minutes without a putting up a point on the scoreboard.
The Antelopes led 12-10, but a
Kevin Hu (Taipei, Taiwan/Songsan) 3-pointer began a 9-0 run with four minutes remaining in the half to take a 19-12 advantage. GCU countered with a Brad Carroll 3-pointer, which began a 12-2 run to finish the half, as the Lopes held a slim 22-21 lead headed into the locker room.
Both teams were cold from the floor in the first half, as the Antelopes went only 9-for-22 (41 percent) while the Swords were 8-for-29 (27.6 percent).
Waly Coulibaly (Bamako, Mali/Patterson Prep) led the Swords with seven points. Haskins and Bailey went a collective 1-for-15 in the first half.
The teams traded several scores to open the second half as the Lopes held a 27-26 lead. But in a span of over five minutes, CUH got a triple and jumper from Haskins, five points from Bailey, a
Tyree Harrison (San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon) layup, a Coulibaly 3-point play and a Hu 3-pointer. In all, it was an 18-2 run, and the Swords had their largest lead at 44-28 with 10:47 left in the second half.
The Antelopes chipped away at the 16-point deficit and got to within seven twice in the waning minutes. However, the Swords knocked down all eight of their free throws down the stretch to pull away.
Coulibaly had 10 points while Hu chipped in nine. Harrison ripped down eight boards. Both teams shot 30.8 percent from the floor, but the Swords held Grand Canyon to 23.3 percent (7-of-30) shooting in the second half. GCU held the rebounding edge, 41-37, but committed 15 turnovers to the Swords' nine.
Killian Larson led GCU with 10 points as the Antelopes, playing in their final season in the Pac West, fell to 23-7 on the season.
Chaminade will face top-seeded Dixie State at 7:30 p.m. PST (5:30 p.m. HST) tomorrow. The Red Storm knocked off BYU-Hawai`i, 71-59, in the other semifinal. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional, which begins next Friday. Dixie State upended the Swords, 87-78, in St. George, Utah, on Dec. 3, the only meeting of the teams this season.
