HONOLULU – For the first time in 20 days, the Chaminade University men's basketball team was back at the comfortable confines of McCabe Gym.
However, visiting Point Loma handed the Silverswords one of their most disappointing losses of the season, surviving a late rally to pull out a 71-67 win Thursday.
Austin Pope (Burbank, Calif./North Idaho College) had a game-high 22 points in defeat and nearly single-handedly brought the 'Swords back from a late deficit. The senior guard, who is the reigning Pacific West Conference Player of the Week, made 10-of-13 shots and scored 16 second-half points while making all seven shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes. He also had five assists and three rebounds.
Chaminade fell to 12-6 on the season and 7-4 in the PacWest, suffering its second consecutive defeat after winning enjoying a seven-game winning streak.
Justin Bridges (Atlanta/Georgia Highlands College) added 14 for the Silverswords while
Grant Dressler (Las Vegas/Sacramento State) had eight.
Erik Scheive (Marysville, Calif./Yuba College), the team's leading scorer at nearly 15 points per game coming into Thursday, was held to just six.
PLNU was led by Ziggy Satterthwaite and Skyler White who each had 15 points. Satterthwaite was nearly unstoppable, making 6-of-7 shots from the floor. Josh Rodriguez had four assists for the Sea Lions, passing Holy Names' Joshua Crum to become the PacWest's career assists leader
The loss dropped the 'Swords to fifth in the PacWest standings while the Sea Lions (15-7, 9-4) leapfrogged Chaminade into fourth with a two-game lead.
Point Loma led for much of the first half and led by as many as 13 early in the second. Dressler and Pope combined for eight points to bring the home team to within five and after the Sea Lions rebuilt their lead back to 10,
Nicholas Anderson (Anaheim, Calif./Fullerton College) buried a 3-pointer to begin a 9-0 Chaminade run which brought them to within a point at 56-55.
Pope then put the 'Swords on his back, accounting for five of the team's next six field goals which helped to shave a 66-59 deficit to just a point after his three-point play with 28 seconds remaining.
Chaminade nearly forced a turnover in its own backcourt when Point Loma attempted a skip-pass towards midcourt. However the ball glanced off Anderson's outstretched hands to keep possession to PLNU. Rodriguez was fouled and made two free throws with 19 seconds left to give them a 70-67 lead but the 'Swords had one last shot. However, Anderson's potential game-tying triple glanced off the rim and Preston Beverly hit a free throw with 4 seconds remaining to clinch the game.
After Point Loma shot a blistering 66.7 percent in the first half, Chaminade's defense clamped down, allowing just 43 percent in the second, 56.3 for the game.
The Sea Lions owned the boards with 32 to the 'Swords' 21, although CUH managed to force 16 PLNU turnovers.
However, Chaminade again struggled from the free throw line, making just 6-of-12. It marks the second consecutive outing in which they have been subpar from the charity stripe, having made just 5 of 15 against Holy Names.
The Silverswords will look to bounce back Saturday when they face intercity rival, Hawai'i Pacific, Saturday at the Blaisdell Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
