HONOLULU – Perhaps the Chaminade University men's basketball team would like to consider playing more afternoon games.
Playing six hours ahead of their normal 7:30 p.m. start time, the Silverswords saw seven players, including all five starters, score in double-digits as they roared past Holy Names, 107-84, in a Pacific West Conference game Saturday at McCabe Gym.
Kuany Kuany hit 11-of-12 shots from the floor to lead Chaminade (10-14 overall, 7-11 PacWest) with a game- and season-high 27 points.
Oscar Pedroso had 17 points while
David Ware had a season-high-tying 15.
Kevin Hu added 12 and
James Harper 10.
Kiran Shastri and
Frankie Eteuati came off the bench with 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the Silverswords swept the season series.
Richard Craig led the Hawks (3-22, 1-16) with 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers.
Kuany was one rebound shy of his fifth double-double of the year while Eteuati, the reigning PacWest Co-Player of the Week, continued to wreak havoc in the middle, setting a career-high with six blocked shots, his 15
th multi-block game of the season. The senior from Long Beach, Calif., was also a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.
The 107 points is the most scored by the 'Swords since pouring in 114 in a win over Grand Canyon on Feb. 2006. It's also the third straight game the Silverswords hit the century mark against the Hawks.
Chaminade turned a close game into a runaway early, going on runs of 9-0, 10-0 and 11-0 in the first half to open up a 39-point lead at 61-22, their largest of the game. The 'Swords held a 61-27 halftime advantage, the most points in a half by the 'Swords since also putting up 61 against the Hawks a year ago.
But the Hawks proved feisty in the second half, outscoring the Silverswords, 34-14, midway through to make the situation uneasy for the hosts. Holy Names whittled the deficit to 16 with 5:32 left to play, but buckets by Kuany and Eteuati and triples from
De'Von Boyd and Pedroso were part of an 11-0 run to slam the door shut.
Chaminade hit 54.2 percent (39-of-72) of its shots while limiting the Hawks to 46.3 (31-of-67). The 'Swords outrebounded them, 41-37, and had 18 assists to Holy Names' 17. They were also 21-of-27 from the foul line while the Hawks were 15-of-23.
The 'Swords return to McCabe Gym Thursday when they face Dominican. Live audio coverage will be available on GoSwords.com.
