LA MIRADA, Calif. – The Chaminade University women's basketball team endured perhaps the bitterest pill to swallow in recent memory.
The Silverswords owned a 15-point advantage and led for 33 minutes of the game but watched in agony as Biola University rallied past them late in the fourth quarter, 66-61, Saturday at Chase Gymnasium.
Alicia Dugan (Renton, Wash./Peninsula College) scored a career-high 23 points – 18 in the first half – for the 'Swords who fell to 2-18 overall and 2-16 in the Pacific West Conference.
DeMoria White, the conference's No. 2 scorer, poured in 24 points for the Eagles (12-13, 10-9 PacWest) who outscored Chaminade 39-23 in the second half.
Kali Benavente (Tamuning, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) added 11 points for the 'Swords.
Diamond Carter (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Olympic College) ripped down a season-high 12 rebounds with nine points.
Destiny Castro (Talofofo, Guam/Notre Dame HS) was held to nine points but the conference's steals leader added four more thefts, giving her 62 this season, becoming the first player in program history to have 60-plus steals in a single season.
Chaminade stunned Biola in the game's opening stages, holding the Eagles to without a field goal in the final five minutes of the first quarter. Dugan was a one-person wrecking crew with 12 points in the first quarter as the raced out to a 22-8 lead at the end of the period. The junior guard couldn't miss, hitting all four of her field goal attempts including two 3-pointers and two free throw tries. Chaminade was 9-of-17 from the floor while Biola was just 2-of-13.
The Eagles whittled the deficit to eight midway through the second but Dugan's three-point play, two free throws from
Breann Nueku (Honolulu/Clark College), a Benavente layup followed by Dugan's third triple of the half gave the Silverswords their largest lead of the contest at 36-21 with just over a minute left in the half. Chaminade led 38-27 at the break.
However Biola rallied in the third, outscoring the 'Swords 19-10 in the period. With the lead down to two entering the fourth, Chaminade went back up by seven in the opening minutes of the final period on buckets from Benavente and Carter. But they went ice-cold from there, unable find the bottom of the net. Meanwhile the Eagles shot themselves back ahead courtesy of three 3-pointers. The 'Swords finally got a field goal to fall, a Benavente 3-ball with just 2 seconds left. By then it was too little, too late.
Chaminade could not sustain its first-quarter efficiency, making just 12-of-43 (27.9 percent) of its shots in the final three quarter, 35 percent for the game. However, they did manage to out-board Biola 37-34 and committed just 10 turnovers, two off their program-record low.
The 'Swords could also take solace in that they were able to match Biola nearly score-for-score before their fourth-quarter woes.
The Silverswords wrapped up the Mainland portion of their road trip and will conclude their five-game stand away from McCabe Gym Thursday at Hawai'i Hilo.
