AZUSA, Calif. – In the middle of their toughest stretch of the season, the Chaminade University men's basketball team dropped their second game of the Southern California road trip 80-63 to Azusa Pacific Monday at the Felix Event Center.
Justin Bridges (Atlanta/Georgia Highlands) led the Silverswords with 17 points, one off his season- and career-highs, and seven rebounds.
Grant Dressler (Las Vegas/Sacramento State) contributed with 13 points while
Erik Scheive (Marysville, Calif./Yuba College) had 11.
Brett Reed (Houston/Cabrillo College) pulled down a team-best eight boards while adding seven points and a season-high four assists.
The 'Swords are 14-9 overall and 9-7 in the PacWest but just 2-5 in their last seven contests. Concordia (10-7 PacWest) took over the fifth spot in the tournament with their win Monday over Hawai'i Hilo. Chaminade has the sixth spot with a half-game lead over Academy of Art (9-8) after the Urban Knights knocked off Hawai'i Pacific (8-8). The top six teams in the conference standings advance to the PacWest Tournament in Riverside, Calif.
The Cougars improved to 17-8 overall and 13-4 in the PacWest, tying them with Point Loma for the conference's No. 3 seed. Petar Kutlesic led APU with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
The 'Swords had their only lead in the game (9-8) five minutes in, thanks to Dressler's 3-pointer but APU scored eight straight to take a 16-9 edge. Dressler's three free throws and Scheive's triple reduced the margin to 29-28 with 1:15 left in the first half but a bucket by the Cougars gave them a 32-29 halftime lead.
Azusa Pacific's nine-point run in the early stages of the second half put them up by double-digits (48-37) for the first time in the game. Chaminade got to within nine three times, the last coming with 6:26 left at 59-50 but APU outscored the 'Swords 10-0 over the next two minutes to put the game away.
Chaminade shot just 41.2 percent from the floor while Azusa Pacific was 49.1. They were out-boarded, 40-29, and committed 16 turnovers.
The Silverswords will be at California Baptist on Thursday in potentially the final meeting between the two programs. Chaminade defeated CBU earlier this season at McCabe Gym.
