HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's basketball team wrapped up this year's Malika Sports O'ahu Thanksgiving Classic with a 58-41 loss Friday to Cal State San Marcos at the Hawai'i Pacific University Shark Tank.
Destiny Castro (Talofofo, Guam/Notre Dame HS) led the Silverswords with season-high-tying 16 points and a season-best eight rebounds while
Cheyenne Ardona (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) added 11 in the loss which also tied her career-high.
Chaminade fell to 0-5 on the season.
Cal State San Marcos, ranked No. 17 in the D2SIDA Top-25 Media Poll, improved to 7-0 and got 20 points and 15 rebounds from Jon'Nae Vermillion.
Arianna Blowe (Monument, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) and
Breann Nueku (Honolulu/Clark College/Kamehameha-Kapalama HS) each had five points with the latter pulling down five boards.
Kali Benavente (Tamuning, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) had three assists for Chaminade which shot 32.7 percent from the field. The 'Swords were out-rebounded 46-30 but committed just 12 turnovers which tied their season low.
CSUSM shot 40 percent from the field but was held to just 2-of-13 from 3-point range.
The Silverswords kept pace with the Cougars throughout the first half. Chaminade scored the game's first four points on layups from Ardona and Castro. CSUSM eventually took the lead in later in the first quarter but the 'Swords managed to forge a 12-all tie at the end of the period thanks to a layup from
Ellyonna Bankofier (Happy Valley, Ore./Clackamas).
Late in the second quarter, Castro's layup at the 4:13 mark put the 'Swords ahead, 22-21, their first lead since it was 10-9 midway in the first quarter but the Cougars scored six of the half's final seven points for a 27-23 lead at the break. Cal State San Marcos never led by more than six in the first half.
After eight combined possessions without a score to open the second half, the next seven resulted in field goals with the Cougars establishing a 35-29 edge. CSUSM managed to expand its lead to nine including at the end of the third quarter which at the time was its largest of the game.
But the 'Swords ran out of gas in the fourth, making just one field goal in the final six minutes, although their defense held the Cougars to just nine during that same span.
Despite being out-boarded by 16, Chaminade recovered enough to allow just 10 second-chance points and managed 30 paint points against the taller and physical Cougars.
The Silverswords open Pacific West Conference action on Wednesday when they face No. 4 Azusa Pacific in the home homer at McCabe Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
