HONOLULU – For the first time in 2020, the Chaminade University men's basketball team ventured outside the friendly confines of McCabe Gymnasium.
On Thursday, the Silverswords faced their longtime in-city rivals Hawai'i Pacific University at its new home, The Shark Tank, at the former Saint Francis School in Manoa Valley for the first time ever.
Tyler Cartaino (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) had a game-high 24 points while adding six rebounds and a career-high-tying four steals in their 92-74 win over HPU, improving Chaminade to 10-6 overall and 8-3 in the Pacific West Conference.
PacWest Freshman of the Week
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) continued to show a hot hand, sinking four 3-pointers on-route to a career-high 18 points.
Kendall Small (Lakewood, Calif./Pacific/Mayfair HS) had another solid all-around performance with 17 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Eliet Donley (Yokosuka, Japan/Hayfield, Va., HS) added 12 points and did not miss any of his five field goals and two free throw tries.
HPU, led by Ronald Blaine's 19 points, fell to 6-10 and 4-6 in the conference.
Like Small,
Andre Arissol (Northampton, England/Otero JC/Charnwood HS) also had a well-rounded game with nine points, a career-high eight rebounds and six assists which tied another career standard. He also did not commit a turnover.
Roman Young (Wichita, Kan./Mineral Area College/Sunrise Christian Academy) helped out with seven points including five towards the end to help quell a potential HPU rally.
HPU grabbed a 9-7 lead early but Chaminade responded with a 9-0 run as Cartaino accounted for two baskets. Later, the 'Swords made three unanswered buckets, two by Small and another from Arissol to put them up 27-15 with 8:13 left in the first half.
After the Sharks closed to 35-29, the Silverswords closed the half on a 12-3 run, capped by Amaral-Artharee's 3-pointer which bounced three times off the rim before dropping in with 1:15 left. The triple put Chaminade up 47-32 at the break, its largest of the first half.
As with the nature of the rivalry, HPU slowly nipped away at the deficit early in the second half, getting to within single digits. Up 68-60 with 8 minutes left, Young scored five points and Amaral-Artharee buried another triple as a part of a 14-7 run to put the 'Swords up 82-67 with 3:55 remaining to help put the game away.
Chaminade shot 53.2 percent (33-of-62) from the field and went 20-of-30 from the charity stripe. They also had 39 boards and nine thefts. HPU was held to 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the floor and was 16-of-31 from the free throw line. The Sharks pulled down 30 rebounds and were out-pointed 11-4 in second chance points.
The Silverswords, who completed an exhausing six-games-in-13-days stretch, get a week off and return to McCabe Gym on Thursday, Jan. 23, when they host Holy Names in the first of a three-game home stand. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
