Box Score HILO, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University men's basketball team got 22 points off the bench from
Kiran Shastri and
Kuany Kuany added his seventh double-double of the season as the Silverswords escaped with an 86-83 win over Hawai'i-Hilo in a Pacific West Conference game on the Big Island on Friday.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the second-place 'Swords, who improved to 13-8 overall and 10-3 in the PacWest, 2 ½ games behind conference leader, California Baptist. The Vulcans fell to 3-16 and 0-13.
Nineteen of Shastri's points, as well as five of his six 3-pointers, came in the second half. Kuany, a four-time Hawai'i Tourism Authority PacWest Freshman of the Week, scored 21 points and hauled in 11 rebounds. The Melbourne, Australia, native was 9-of-12 from the floor.
Tyree Harrison added 11 points and eight rebounds for Chaminade, who now owns a 12-game winning streak against the Vulcans dating back to March 2009.
UH-Hilo was led by Joey Rodriguez's 23 points. Darnell Williams had 16 while Lucan Swanson and Derek Owens chipped in with 13 each.
"What a tough, hard-fought game tonight," Silverswords head coach
Eric Bovaird said. "Hilo has played a lot of good teams really well, we are thankful to get out with a win."
UH-Hilo grabbed an early 13-6 lead, but a
Kevin Hu layup triggered a 9-0 run to put Chaminade ahead, 15-13.
James Harper's 3-pointer at the 9:23 mark gave the Silverswords their largest lead of the half at 27-19, but the Vulcans' 20-6 run over the next seven minutes put them ahead, giving them a 42-39 lead at the break.
The stats tally at intermission was near-even, although CUH had a 27-21 rebounding advantage, while the Vulcans had nine assists to the Silverswords' three.
Rodriguez's layup with 15:19 left in the second half gave UH-Hilo a 50-46 lead, but Shastri would catch fire, burying four 3-balls in a 4-minute span. His shooting spree sandwiched a Kuany dunk and a
Frankie Eteuati layup as the Silverswords' 16-2 run gave them a 62-52 lead.
Rodriguez scored five in a row to bring the Vulcans to within 62-57, but
Rhys Murphy's and-1 put the 'Swords back out to an 8-point, 65-57 advantage.
UH-Hilo rallied, forcing a 76-all tie with 3:23 left, but 40 seconds later, Shastri hit from deep for the fifth time in as many second-half attempts, shoving Chaminade ahead, 79-76. The Vulcans twice shaved the deficit down to a single point, but Kuany's 3-point play would help keep UH-Hilo at bay.
Derric Braziel hit a pair of clutch foul shots and a Kuany free throw with a second left to play gave Chaminade a 3-point lead. A last-second desperation heave by the Vulcans was well off the mark, giving the Silverswords the victory.
Both teams shot in the mid-40 percent range from the floor for the game, but Chaminade would crash the glass more effectively in the second half, out-rebounding the Vulcans, 23-13 in the final 20 minutes, to own a 50-34 rebounding total. The Silverswords also limited the Vulcans to only nine free throw attempts (four made) all evening while CUH was 11-for-16. The Silverswords were also 5-of-7 inside 90 seconds from the charity stripe.
Now comes a major test for the 'Swords, who return to Honolulu on Saturday, then back on a flight to the Mainland on Sunday afternoon. Chaminade visits Point Loma on Tuesday, at first-place and 13
th-ranked California Baptist on Thursday, then at third-place Dixie State, which beat the 'Swords at McCabe Gym back in December, in what could be a season-defining stretch for the team.
"We have a tough road trip coming up that can keep us in contention for a championship, so tonight's win was a must," Bovaird said.
