LA MIRADA, Calif. – The last time the Chaminade University and Biola University men's basketball teams faced off, it was the latter who survived a quadruple-overtime marathon.
There would be no such drama in the rematch on Thursday.
Tyler Cartaino (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) went for a game-high 23 points with six rebounds while
Eliet Donley (Yokosuka, Japan/Hayfield, Va., HS) had 14 points and 11 boards for his second career double-double to help the Silverswords defeat Biola, 84-72, at Chase Gymnasium.
Three others hit double figures in scoring to help Chaminade avenge the 113-107, four-overtime loss at McCabe Gym back on Jan. 4.
Bill Awet (Sydney, Australia/SIU Edwardsville/Victory Rock Prep, Fla., HS) had 13 points followed by 11 from
Kendall Small (Lakewood, Calif./Pacific/Mayfair HS) and 10 from
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic).
Small also had five rebounds and seven assists while
Andre Arissol (Northampton, Englad/Otero JC/Charnwood HS) had seven points and five rebounds.
The win improved the 'Swords to 15-8 overall and 13-5 in the Pacific West Conference. They are sitting in fourth place just percentage points behind current third-place holder Concordia (12-4 PacWest). The two teams meet on Saturday in Irvine.
Alex Wright's 19 points paced Biola which fell to 13-11 overall and 9-9 in the PacWest.
Chaminade never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 15-4 lead less than four-and-a-half minutes in. Cartaino, Small and
Roman Young (Wichita, Kan./Mineral Area College/Sunrise Christian Academy) accounted for all 15 in the start.
Biola trimmed the deficit to six four times the rest of the first half but Chaminade still maintained a 39-31 edge at the break.
The Eagles got to within five on several occasions in the beginning of the second half, the last coming at 49-44 with 13:56 left. But Awet had 11 points during the Silverswords' game-breaking 23-2 surge over the next six minutes, putting them up 72-47 with 7:12 left to play and effectively put the game away. Chaminade made 7-of-12 shots during the run and held Biola to just 1-of-10 in the same span.
The 'Swords shot 44.9 percent from the field (31-of-69) and made 17-of-23 shots from the free throw line. They also grabbed 46 rebounds and committed just seven turnovers.
While the Eagles were 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor, they had 32 rebounds and went to the line just 14 times, making nine. Chaminade outscored Biola, 13-8 off turnovers, 48-30 in the paint and 18-5 in fast-break chances.
Saturday's contest at Concordia has several postseason ramifications with the PacWest Tournament just three weeks away. A Silverswords' win in CU Arena, where they have never won, would move them past the Eagles for third in the conference, produce a split in the head-to-head series and potentially put them a game behind Point Loma for the No. 2 spot which carries a first-round bye.
