Box Score FRESNO, Calif. – One thing is certain – in the Pacific West Conference, there are no easy games.
The Chaminade men's basketball team had to grind out every second of play at the FPU Events Center on Monday before downing conference-winless Fresno Pacific, 83-78.
The Silverswords (11-6 overall, 8-1 PacWest) maintained their half-game lead of second place over 12
th-ranked Dixie State, stretching their win streak to six. The 'Swords are a game-and-a-half behind PacWest leader, No. 18 California Baptist. The injury-riddled Sunbirds, who had only seven players participate in the game, fell to 5-12 and 0-9.
Guard
Lee Bailey, who earlier on Monday was named Hawai'i Tourism Authority PacWest Player of the Week, continued his torrid play on the court with a game-high 24 points, five assists and three steals, while hitting 6-of-12 from the floor with three 3-pointers and 9-of-10 from the foul line. The junior from Detroit, Mich., is averaging nearly 25 points per game in his last five outings.
Kuany Kuany had 19 points and seven rebounds, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor while
Tyree Harrison scored a career-high 16 points along with seven boards and two blocks, hitting 6-of-7 from the field.
Kevin Hu pulled down seven rebounds for Chaminade.
All-PacWest selection Malcolm Griffin had a stellar performance for Fresno Pacific, with 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds in defeat. Trevon Clayton added 19 while Jackson Carbajal had 16.
"Our young guys and new guys are learning that it's a grind to win road games in conference play," Chaminade head coach
Eric Bovaird said. "Fresno has one of the best players in the conference in Malcolm Griffin. Luckily, we are able to make a few plays down the stretch to get the win."
The 'Swords managed to break out to a 24-12 lead nearly eight minutes into the game behind Bailey's eight points. But FPU battled back, eventually tying the game at 30, then a Carbajal 3-pointer would give the Sunbirds its first lead since the opening seconds of the game at 33-30 with 5:34 remaining. Griffin extended the lead to 35-30 on a layup, but a Bailey bucket, a Harrison 3-point play, followed by Kuany's five points put CUH ahead, 40-36, with 2:46 left in the half, part of a 10-1 run. The Silverswords grabbed a 43-40 lead at the half.
Both teams shot solidly from the floor with Chaminade hitting 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) while Fresno Pacific went 17-of-29 (58.6).
The 'Swords managed to open a 53-45 advantage two minutes into the second half behind a Bailey 3 and two Kuany layups. The Sunbirds would rally, going on a 15-6 run and taking the lead, 60-59, on Griffin's 3-point play with 12:55 left, but Harrison put Chaminade back ahead at 61-60 with a layup.
The game would continue its dramatics on two Phillip Randle free throws, marking the 11
th tie of the game at 71-all with 6:40 remaining. Kuany scored the next three points, followed by a
Frankie Eteuati layup giving the 'Swords a 76-71 lead with 4:16 left. However, Chaminade could not pull away as each score was matched by one from the home team.
With the Silverswords nursing a 78-76 lead, Bailey, who's hit big clutch shots over the last nine days, buried a jumper from the left wing with 1:10 left, giving CUH an 80-76 advantage. Griffin then missed two free throws with 54 seconds left and the 'Swords hit 3-of-4 foul shots in the waning seconds to put the game away.
Shooting percentages for both teams were down in the second half (48.1 for FPU, 42.9 for CUH), but the Silverswords managed to out-board the Sunbirds, 37-23, and converted 23-of-30 from the free throw line. Fresno Pacific took only 17 foul shots, making 14.
Chaminade's road trip continues on Thursday when they face Academy of Art in a 3 p.m. PST matinee contest.
