HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's basketball team played their first game on O'ahu this season, but couldn't put away Saint Thomas Aquinas as they fell in overtime, 84-77, in the O'ahu Thanksgiving Classic at St. Francis High School Gym.
In action for the first time in 11 days, the Silverswords (0-3) got matching 19-points performances from
Kristle Henry and
Glacen Florita in the loss with Henry setting a new career-high.
Katie Buskey set a season-high with 15 points with
Shana Kawakami contributing with seven.
Alyson Brennan poured in a game-high 32 points for the Lady Spartans (2-1) while also pulling down 12 rebounds.
Henry and Buskey also ripped down eight boards each for Chaminade with Kawakami snagging seven as the 'Swords tallied 49 rebounds, tied for the second-most in program history.
Chaminade led through the majority of the first half as
Kennedi Akana's two buckets gave the 'Swords a 4-0 lead before STAC took 7-6 advantage. Buskey's 3-pointer started a 13-2 run for Chaminade, which held its first double-digit lead of the game at 19-9 with 12:14 left in the first half.
The Spartans battled back and managed to cut their deficit to a single point with Chaminade leading, 37-36, at the half.
STAC got a basket to start the second half, its first lead since early in the first, but Kawakami and Florita hit back-to-back triples to get the Silverswords lead back to five with 16:34 remaining. The Spartans re-took the lead three minutes later and from there, the contest went back-and-forth with two ties and 10 lead changes.
With just over two minutes left in regulation, Buskey broke a 66-all tie when she knocked down a 3-pointer. STAC then tied it on Brennan's 3-point play with 36 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.
The Lady Spartans hit their first two jumpers of the extra session to give them a 73-69 lead. The Silverswords would cut the deficit to a deuce three times in overtime on baskets from Kawakami, Henry and Florita, but it was as close as they got.
Chaminade managed to drop nine 3-pointers with Buskey and Florita each getting three. Florita was 7-for-12 from the floor and had six boards. Shooting percentages between both teams was close with CUH at 39.7 percent and STAC at 40 percent.
Sabrina Angle had a team-high four assists for Chaminade.
The 'Swords conclude the O'ahu Thanksgiving Classic on Friday when they face Montana State-Billings at Student Council Gymnasium on the McKinley High School campus. Live streaming audio will be available at GoSwords.com.
