SAN FRANCISCO – The Chaminade University men's basketball team opened a four-game Pacific West Conference Bay Area trip with a 75-68 defeat Sunday to Academy of Art at Kezar Pavillion.
Tyler Cartaino (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) had a team-high 17 points, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field and all five free throws for the Silverswords who fell to 3-4 overall, suffering their first Pacific West Conference loss at 1-1 and their first to a fellow NCAA Division II squad this season.
Kendall Small (Lakewood, Calif./Pacific/Mayfair HS) added a season-high 14 points with three assists and a pair of steals for the 'Swords.
Stefan Milivojevic had 22 for the Urban Knights (3-6, 1-1 PacWest) who snapped a five-game losing streak.
The 'Swords made 42.3 percent (22-of-52) of their shots but were only 21.1 (4-of-19) from 3-point distance, their lowest against a D-II opponent since making just 3-of-18 triples (16.7 percent) in January which also happened to be in a loss to ART U at Kezar.
Bill Awet (Sydney, Australia/SIU Edwardsville/Victory Rock Prep, Fla., HS) had a career-best eight points for the 'Swords, breaking his previous high of seven last year as a sophomore at SIU Edwardsville.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) and
Andre Arissol (Northampton, England/Otero JC/Charnwood HS) each hit for seven points followed by six from
Eliet Donley (Yokosuka, Japan/Hayfield, Va., HS) and
Kevin Kremer (Chico, Calif./Utah/Pleasant Valley HS).
The first half was evenly played with the no team establishing more than a lead no larger than six.
Kai Tease accounted for half of his 16 points by scoring all of ART U's points in the first minute which helped give them an eight-point lead which was their largest of the game. But Chaminade pulled ahead, 50-49, on an Arissol triple with 9:08 remaining. The 'Swords held the lead for nearly five minutes before the Urban Knights tied it at 60 on a layup then took the lead for good on a triple two possessions later.
The game's pivotal moment came with 1:23 left and the 'Swords trailing 68-65. Twice they could not corral a defensive rebound for a potential tying 3. Instead ART U grabbed two offensive boards which allowed them to milk 42 second off the clock, ending with a layup from Milivojevic to put them up five. The Urban Knights made five of their final six free throws which sealed the game.
Despite making 20-of-27 from the charity stripe, the 'Swords were out-rebounded 39-24 including 15 offensive boards by ART U resulting in 17 second-chance points. Chaminade had 13 assists, five by
Roman Young (Wichita, Kan./Mineral Area College/Sunrise Christian Academy). Awet pulled down five boards for Chaminade.
The Silverswords continue their road trip Tuesday at Holy Names.
