RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Two weeks ago, the Chaminade University women's basketball team was minutes away from pulling off one of the biggest upsets in school history. But in Saturday's rematch against California Baptist, the outcome was decided early.
Carissa McBride tied her career-high with 12 points, but the Silverswords couldn't keep up with the Lancers, the Pacific West Conference's second-place team, falling 81-57, at Van Dyne Gym.
Lilia Maio added 10 points and eight rebounds for the 'Swords while
Katie Buskey and
Glacen Florita had eight each.
Kennedi Akana and
Kristle Henry added six points apiece. Akana also had seven boards while Henry had four assists and four steals.
Chaminade fell to 6-14 overall and 6-10 in the Pacific West Conference, keeping them three games behind BYU-Hawai'i and Dominican for the sixth and final spot for next month's PacWest Tournament in Irvine, Calif., with four games remaining.
Cassidy Milhalko hit 10-of-16 from the field to post 23 points to lead California Baptist (20-4, 13-3 PacWest) while Darsha Burnside had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The 'Swords found themselves down 20-10 six minutes into the game, but got back into it on Florita's 3-pointer and five straight by McBride in an 8-1 run. The Lancers then went on a 10-0 run to recapture a double-digit lead at 31-18, but Buskey's triple and Henry's layup off a steal closed the gap back to eight with 6:11 left in the half, prompting CBU to call a timeout.
But it was all Lancers from there as the 'Swords were held without a field goal for nearly five minutes as their 13-1 run gave them a 44-24 lead. CBU held a 47-28 halftime advantage.
The Silverswords never threatened in the second half but showed some poise in successfully breaking the Lancers' full-court press in the game's final 20 minutes.
Although they were outrebounded 46-32, the 'Swords managed to hold the much–taller Lancers, the second-best shooting team in the PacWest, to 44 percent, just a shade above their 43.5 season average. The Silverswords also hit eight 3-pointers, forced 20 CBU turnovers and had 11 steals.
The 'Swords wrap up their road trip Monday at Azusa Pacific.
