HONOLULU – The 20th-ranked Chaminade University men's basketball team opened the Hoops in Hawai'i D2 Power Invitational on Sunday with a 74-66 win over Western Washington at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
Erik Scheive (Marysville, Calif./Yuba College/Marysville HS) scored a game-high 25 points, marking the first back-to-back 20-point games of his career, making 10 of his 18 shots including a pair of 3-pointers, following his career-high 26 on Saturday against Holy Names. The senior forward also yanked down 12 rebounds to post his first double-double of the year.
Grant Dressler (Las Vegas/Sacramento State/Palo Verde HS) added 22 points, six boards and three assists while making all eight of his tries from the free throw line for the Silverswords who remained unbeaten at 8-0.
Chaminade's defense also held the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's top scoring team to nearly 30 points below their season average of 95.7 entering the game.
WWU, which began the season ranked 14th in the NABC Preseason Coaches Poll before dropping out two weeks ago, fell to 7-3 and were led by Trevor Jasinsky's 17 points.
For Chaminade it was a quality win over a perennial West Region power and marked their first-ever victory over the Vikings in seven tries. Twice Western Washington has knocked the 'Swords out from the NCAA West Regionals including in the last meeting between the two schools in March 2013.
Tyler Cartaino (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) added 11 points and five boards for Chaminade while
Nicholas Anderson (Anaheim, Calif./Fullerton College/Canyon HS) dished out seven assists and pulled down a career-high eight boards.
Scheive scored the game's first four points with the Silverswords racing out to a 16-6 lead. Dressler twice gave Chaminade its largest advantage of the game at 13, the final with 5:58 left at 29-16. But the Vikings ended the half on a 14-2 run including a triple at the horn by KJ Bosco which trimmed the Silverswords' lead to 31-30 at halftime.
WWU managed to take the lead three times in the first five minutes of the second half including at 43-42. But Scheive accounted for Chaminade's next five points including a four-point play while drawing a foul on his straight-away 3 with 14:16 left.
Andre Arissol (Northampton, England/Otero JC/Charnwood HS) then knocked down a triple which capped a 9-0 run which put the 'Swords ahead 51-43.
The Vikings eventually drew to within 55-54 with 6:27 remaining but Dressler's triple, a bucket from Scheive and Anderson's floater in the lane put the 'Swords up by eight. From there, Chaminade matched Western Washington score-for-score down the stretch to hang on for the win.
The 'Swords held WWU to a measly 23 of 71 (32.4 percent) from the field and just 5 of 24 from 3-point range while forcing 12 turnovers. Conversely CUH shot 26 of 63 (41.3 percent) and made 7 of its 25 attempts from long range. They also had 16 assists and 10 giveaways.
The Silverswords advanced to the tournament semifinals and will face Dallas Baptist (8-3) which upset No. 11 Southern Nazarene earlier in the day. Like Western Washington, DBU was nationally ranked in the preseason poll before falling out in late November. It will also be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Hawai'i Standard Time.
