HONOLULU – With their season on the brink, the Chaminade University men's basketball team came through in the clutch with one of their biggest wins of the season.
The Silverswords got five players in double-digits, led by senior
Austin Pope (Burbank, Calif./North Idaho College) who got 16 points in his final home game in their 80-72 over Azusa Pacific Saturday at McCabe Gym.
The victory clinched the final spot in next week's Pacific West Conference Tournament in Riverside, Calif., which helped send the five Chaminade seniors out in style. They will open with the same Cougars next Thursday in the tournament's opening round.
Pope's fellow senior,
Justin Bridges (Atlanta/Georgia Highlands College), added 14 points in his last game at home.
Grant Dressler (Las Vegas/Sacramento State) had 13 points and six rebounds while
Nicholas Anderson (Anaheim, Calif./Fullerton College) had 11 points.
Brett Reed (Houston/Cabrillo College) contributed with 10 points, nine boards and four assists.
Braden Koelliker (Kaysville, Utah/Colorado State) pulled down eight boards while
Erik Scheive (Marysville, Calif./Yuba College) had seven points and seven rebounds.
The Silverswords improved to 16-11 and 11-9 in the PacWest.
Azusa Pacific (19-9, 15-5) got 13 points from Mandrell Worthy and an unconventional triple-double from Selom Mawugbe who had 10 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocked shots.
Just hours earlier, Academy of Art forced Chaminade into its win-or-stay-home scenario with a stunning victory over Concordia with a last-second shot in double-overtime.
Knowing that a loss would end their season, the Silverswords started out flat, missing their first five shots of the game and didn't get their first score until three minutes had elapsed on Pope's layup which helped put them back on track.
The 'Swords took their first lead of the game at 8-6 when senior
Dantley Walker (Panaca, Nev./UNLV) hit a floater along the right baseline. Two possessions later, Anderson converted a four-point play which helped Chaminade built its lead to 10 in the first half. APU managed to chop the deficit in the closing minutes of the first half to trail 35-28 at the break.
The 'Swords began pulling away in the opening stages of the second half. Consecutive triples from Bridges and Pope built their lead to 12 then the team's fourth senior,
Nate Pollard (Bountiful, Utah/Rice University) knocked away an entry pass that went to Dressler who in turn fired a one-handed bounce pass to Bridges who flushed it to give Chaminade its largest lead at that point, 45-32.
Back-to-back treys from Anderson and Walker gave the 'Swords their largest lead of the game at 60-42 before APU again rallied, cutting its deficit to nine.
However, Chaminade wasn't going to be denied its shot at the postseason. Reed's put-back began a game-sealing 8-2 run that put the home team back up by 15 and the 'Swords never looked back as they locked up their second straight bid to the PacWest Tournament.
Both teams shot under 45 percent from the floor in the game and made nine 3-pointers. Chaminade out-rebounded Azusa Pacific, 47-36, and made just eight turnovers.
Pope, Bridges, Walker, Pollard and
Matt Southard (Norman, Okla./Yavapai College) were each honored after the game.
This is the Silverswords' fourth appearance in the PacWest Tournament where they are 6-2.
