HONOLULU – For 20 minutes, it appeared that the Chaminade University men's basketball team would for the sixth straight year exit Hawai'i Pacific University's home floor with a win over their arch-rivals.
Instead, the Sharks chomped back, rallying from a 20-point first half deficit to stun the Silverswords, 82-77, Tuesday at Moanalua High School Gym.
It's the fourth time this season the 'Swords have lost after leading by double-digits and the third time by 14 or more points. Chaminade had 44 points through the game's first 18 1/2 minutes but could only manage 33 in the final 21 1/2.
David Ware came off the bench for Chaminade (7-11 overall, 5-6 Pacific West Conference) with a career-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-10 from the floor and all three of his 3-point attempts. Fourteen of his points came in the first half. The senior point guard from Las Vegas is shooting 63.9 percent (23-of-36) from the floor in his last eight contests.
Kuany Kuany notched his ninth double-double of the season and the 21
st of his career with a 13-point, 14-rebound performance.
Rohndell Goodwin and
Kevin Hu each had 11.
Chauncey Orr paced the Sharks (13-5, 8-3 PacWest) with 24 points while Luke Hager had 20 points and 10 rebounds. HPU's 5-foot-11 guard Jordan Martin went for his second straight double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
Kiran Shastri began a 17-2 surge by knocking down a 3-pointer while Ware scored 12 points during the run. Shastri then splashed down another triple as Chaminade went up 43-23 with two minutes left in the first half. But Orr's three-point play with less than two minutes left helped HPU go on a half-ending 11-1 run to shave the 'Swords' lead to 44-34.
Chaminade would regain its composure coming out of the locker room with consecutive triples from Kuany and Ware to increase the lead to 50-37 two minutes in, but HPU's 17-4 run over the next four minutes would knot the game at 54. Orr's three-point play at the 11:47 mark gave HPU its first lead in nearly 20 minutes.
The 'Swords rallied back with a
Dantley Walker 3-ball and Shastri's bucket to give them a 65-63 lead but a basket from Joel Feigler and two Hager free throws with under seven minutes left put the Sharks ahead for good.
The Silverswords were held to a 38.2 shooting percentage, their second-lowest of the year. Only Kansas – then ranked No. 4 in the nation at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in November – held them to a lower percentage (34.8). They also made only 7 of 16 free throws while HPU sank 18 of its 26 tries. The Sharks also out-rebounded the 'Swords, 52-39. Chaminade hit 12 triples on the night while HPU had eight.
The rematch is set for February 11 at McCabe Gym where HPU has won two of the last three meeting, including a 78-72 win last season.
Chaminade begins its second Mainland trip of the year Saturday in San Francisco against Academy of Art.
