HONOLULU – For 33 minutes, the Chaminade University men's basketball team had their hands full with a Notre Dame de Namur squad that won a grand total of one game this season.
But a big run midway through the second half proved the difference as the Silverswords rolled in the final seven minutes for an 84-67 win Thursday at McCabe Gymnasium on Aloha Senior Night.
Current Pacific West Conference Player of the Week
Grant Dressler (Las Vegas/Sacramento State/Palo Verde) went for a team-high 19 points in the final home game of his career. He also dished out five assists with three rebounds.
Fellow senior
Erik Scheive (Marysville, Calif./Yuba College/Marysville HS) added 14 points and five board while
Masa Swain (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep) made his first career start in absence of
Nicholas Anderson (Anaheim, Calif./Fullerton College/Canyon HS). Anderson, the team's fourth senior, did not play due to an illness that struck several members of the team after returning from their last mainland road trip on Sunday.
The win on what was also Pink Out Night improved Chaminade to 21-6 overall and 15-6 in the PacWest as they kept pace with Azusa Pacific (15-6 PacWest) which defeated Academy of Art earlier in the evening in a battle for the No. 3 seed in next week's PacWest Tournament in San Rafael, Calif. The 'Swords' 21st win tied the program's Division II era for victories set during the 2007-08 season.
Tyler Cartaino (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) made 6-of-9 from the floor for 17 points while also grabbing eight rebounds.
Jake Hutchings (Las Vegas/Howard College/Centennial HS) put up 14 points while
Andre Arissol (Northampton, England/Otero JC/Charnwood HS) knocked down four 3-pointers en-route to 13 points.
The Argonauts were paced by RJ Louis' 21 points as they fell to 1-26 overall and 1-20 in the PacWest.
Early on, it was NDNU that was dictating the pace of the game, jumping out to a 12-4 lead nearly five minutes in and were up 30-24 at the 6:30 mark of the first half. A 3-ball from Hutchings got the 'Swords on track. Two free throws from
Roman Young (Wichita, Kan./Mineral Area College/Sunrise Christian Academy) gave Chaminade its first lead at 32-31 with 2:36 left. Dressler and Young each hit triples on consecutive possession which capped a 15-2 run although Val Wilson scored the half's final five points to narrow the 'Swords' lead to 39-37 at the break.
NDNU kept hanging around in the second half and a Antaveus Brown bucket with 12:36 left brought the Argonauts to within 55-52. But then Cartaino took over. The PacWest's field goal percentage leader scored seven straight then Arissol buried consecutive 3-pointers as the Silverswords went on a 19-2 surge over the next six-and-a-half minutes to end any drama.
After shooting 46.4 percent to NDNU's 51.9 in the first half, Chaminade flexed its muscle in the final 20 minutes, making 58.3 percent of its shots while holding NDNU to 39.3. The 'Swords shot nearly 52 percent from the field during the game while the Argos percentage dipped to 45.5.
The 'Swords out-rebounded the Argos, 29-26, and had 14 assists to NDNU's nine. Chaminade committed a season-low five turnovers and forced 11 on the visitors. They also made 20-of-26 free throws while NDNU took just nine trips to the charity stripe.
The Silverswords end the regular season Saturday at Hawai'i Hilo where they have dropped four straight on the Big Island. The home team has won the last eight games in the series.
The contest has postseason ramifications for both squads. For Chaminade it needs a win and an Azusa Pacific loss to Dominican or a Holy Names win at Fresno Pacific to not only wrap up the third seed, but to also maintain their No. 5 ranking in the West Region. For the Vulcans, they control their own destiny. Win and they're in the tournament for the first time ever or hope for an Academy of Art loss at Biola.
