FRESNO, Calif. – The Chaminade University women's basketball team finished its final road trip of the season Monday with a 76-60 loss to Fresno Pacific at the Special Event Center.
The defeat ended a five-game, 12-day road swing that started in southern California.
Destiny Castro (Talofofo, Guam/Notre Dame HS), who earlier Monday was named the Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week, filled up the offensive stat sheet with 25 points on the night. She also added six rebounds and got three more steals, giving her 85 thefts this season, increasing her single-season team record which she set on Saturday at Concordia Irvine.
The Silverswords fell to 4-22 overall and 4-16 in the PacWest.
Arianna Blowe (Monument, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) added 10 points, her most in two months.
Breann Nueku (Honolulu/Clark College/Kamehameha-Kapalama HS) and
Cheyenne Ardona (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) had eight points each.
Kali Benavente (Tamuning, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) dished out a team-high four assists. In fact, every 'Sword recorded at least two points and had one assist.
With a PacWest Tournament berth on their minds, the Sunbirds bolted out to a 9-0 lead just over two minutes in. The 'Swords were 0-for-8 from the floor to start the game and did not get their first field goal until the midway point of the first half on Blowe's short jumper.
Despite playing with two personal fouls for much of the first half, Castro lit it up in the second quarter, scoring 11 of her 13 first-half points in the frame. A 12-3 run by the 'Swords late in the second, aided by nine from Castro, helped trim a 21-point deficit to a manageable 39-26 score at halftime.
FPU managed to build its lead back to 19 but the 'Swords continued to battle back, chopping the deficit to 10 (61-51) with just 5:43 left. However the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Sunbirds pulled away down the stretch.
Chaminade shot 35.3 percent from the floor, making 22-of-68 from the field. Fresno Pacific was 26-of-57 for 45.6 percent. The Sunbirds dominated on the glass, 46-24, but the 'Swords forced 18 turnovers.
The Silverswords return home and will close out the season with two home games against in-state rivals Hawai'i Pacific University on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday, Feb. 27 at McCabe Gymnasium.
