HONOLULU – The Chaminade University men's basketball team's 2014-15 season got off to a rousing start with an 88-63 win over Regis University Friday at McCabe Gym.
Sophomore guard
Kiran Shastri picked up where he left off after an impressive freshman season with a team-high 17 points while
James Harper added 15. Shastri and Harper combined to hit eight of the Silverswords' 10 3-pointers on the night.
Kuany Kuany had 11 points and led Chaminade (1-0) with seven rebounds.
David Ware, a transfer from Everett Community College, had eight points and five boards off the bench. Pacific West Conference Preseason Team selection
Lee Bailey led the 'Swords with four assists.
The Rangers (0-1), out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, were led by Brett Hartshorne's 18 points.
The 'Swords, who never trailed in the game, got off to a quick 6-0 start with a bucket from Harper, a breakaway dunk from
Michael Louder and a jumper from
Kevin Hu. Regis inched to within 6-5 at the 16:51 mark, but it would be as close as they got before a 9-0 Chaminade run pushed the lead to double digits.
The Rangers closed to within 23-16 with 9:11 left in the half, but Chaminade's 19-7 run over the next six minutes would prove to be the game's early knockout. Shastri hit a pair of triples during the stretch while Kuany added four points as the Silverswords owned a 45-28 lead at the break.
Chaminade continued its efficient play in the second half, extending the lead to as many as 28. All 12 Silverswords in uniform played extended minutes after halftime. Guard
Amu Rosen got his first career points and field goal, a 3-pointer from the right wing with just under 7 minutes left to play, finishing with five points.
Oscar Pedroso had three while
Michael Sakazaki saw six minutes of court action.
Chaminade shot 46 percent in the game and out-rebounded the Rangers, 39-36. They also forced 21 turnovers on the night. The Silverswords tallied 14 assists to only 11 turnovers.
Before the game, the team honored longtime Regis head coach Lonnie Porter, who will be retiring at the end of the season after 38 years at the helm of the Rangers.
Chaminade returns to the McCabe Gym floor on Monday when they face St. Katherine. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with live streaming audio coverage available on GoSwords.com.
