TUSCON, Ariz. – If what was on display for Chaminade University's men's basketball team's two exhibition games are any indication, the Silverswords should be just fine heading into their regular season opener.
For the second time in as many exhibition games, the Silverswords put a scare into a high-major Division I foe. Just four days after a narrow five-point loss at San Diego State, the 'Swords went toe-to-toe with the University of Arizona, one of the premier names in college basketball, before running out of steam in Sunday's 75-64 loss at the McHale Center.
Erik Scheive (Marysville, Calif./Yuba College/Marysville HS) hit six of his eight field goals including a pair of 3-pointers for 15 points while pulling down seven rebounds for the 'Swords.
Grant Dressler (Las Vegas/Sacramento State/Palo Verde HS) added 12 points with five assists while
Nicholas Anderson (Anaheim, Calif./Fullerton College/Canyon HS) and
Telly Davenport (Idaho Falls, Idaho/College of Southern Idaho/Bonneville HS) each had 11. Both had four boards while Anderson also dished out five assists.
Chaminade trailed by as many as 10 midway through the first half but consecutive buckets from Scheive, Dressler and Davenport cut into the lead. Another Dressler layup tied the score at 25 although the Wildcats took a 31-29 halftime lead.
A 9-0 Silverswords run early in the second half gave them their largest lead at 40-32 with 16:17 remaining but Arizona came back with a 10-0 surge of its own to retake the lead. After the teams traded several scores, the Wildcats took the lead for good at 48-46 with less than 10 minutes left on Justin Coleman's hoop.
Jake Hutchings (Las Vegas/Howard College/Centennial HS) hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 54-53 but Arizona's 11-2 run helped seal the game.
Both teams made 45 percent of their shots but Arizona made 11 of its 25 triples while Chaminade was held to 6 of 24 from outside the arc. The Wildcats also made 18 trips to the line, making 10 while the 'Swords were sent to the line just six times.
Chaminade did hold a slight edge in rebounds (36-35) and assists (14-13).
The Silverswords will open regular season action Friday when they host the PacWest/GNAC Challenge at McCabe Gym. Hawai'i Pacific University, Alaska and Alaska Anchorage will also participate in the two-day event. The 'Swords will face Alaska at 2 p.m. while HPU and Alaska Anchorage will be the opening game at 12 p.m.
