LAHAINA, Maui, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University men's basketball team concluded the 32
nd Maui Jim Maui Invitational with a 100-93 loss in the seventh-place game to St. John's Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Kiran Shastri came off the bench with team-high 19 points to lead the Silverswords (0-5) as their rally from a 19-point second-half deficit fell short in the final seconds.
Federico Mussini had a game-high 24 points on five 3-pointers as six of seven St. John's players scored in double-digits. The Red Storm improved to 4-2 on the year.
Playing in his final Maui Jim Maui Invitational game, senior guard
Kevin Hu scored a team-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the floor including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. The Taipei, Taiwan native finished his 12-game span on Maui with 117 career points in the Invitational.
Sam Daly had a season-high 15 points while dishing out eight assists in defeat.
James Harper also had 15 for Chaminade in his final Maui Jim Maui Invitational game while
Rohndell Goodwin had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Shastri hit five 3-pointers in the loss and, in the process, became the school's all-time career leader in 3-pointers with 177 triples, moving past former Maui Invitational MVP George Gilmore who played at Chaminade from 1990-92.
Also, Kuany grabbed four rebounds to move into 10
th in the school's career rebounding list, moving past Stanley Martin. Kuany now has 496 boards and needs only 13 to pass Zack Whiting for ninth all-time.
The Red Storm hit six of their first eight shots as they opened up a 15-3 lead. The 'Swords worked their way back with six straight on a Kuany a dunk and layup and a runner by Daly to close to 15-9. But a bevy of Chaminade turnovers pushed St. John's lead to 29-16.
However, Harper ignited a spark, scoring all 11 of his first-half points including three 3-pointers off the bench during a 16-6 run as Chaminade closed to 37-32 with six minutes left in the half.
But behind the hot shooting of Mussini and several natural 3-point plays the Red Storm grabbed a 59-42 halftime lead. Mussini was 5-of-6 from downtown as SJU was 22-of-31 for a remarkable 71 percent from the floor. CUH was 16-of-29 for 55.2 percent.
Early in the second half, Chaminade slowly chipped away with the help of
Oscar Pedroso who drained a triple then got an and-1. Daly then buried a trey from the right corner and suddenly the Silverswords were within 69-62 with 13 minutes left.
St. John's made another run to push the lead back to double-digits but behind Harper and Shastri's 3-ball which broke the mark held by Gilmore, the Silverswords closed to 79-72 with just under seven minutes left. After a 6-0 run by the Red Storm increased the lead back to 13, the 'Swords made one push as a Goodwin tip-in and two more Shastri treys brought them to within 98-93 with 12 second left but it was as close as they got.
The 'Swords managed to force 17 Red Storm turnovers and convert them into 32 points but St. John's shot 59 percent from the floor and hit 20-of-27 free throws.
Chaminade's 93 points is its fourth-highest scoring Maui Jim Maui Invitational game and its most since putting up 100 against Toledo in 1990.
The Silverswords will return to Division II in-region action Saturday when they host Cal State San Marcos from the California Collegiate Athletic Association in their McCabe Gym opener. Live streaming audio will be available on GoSwords.com.
