HILO, Hawai'i – Super Bowl Sunday wasn't so super for the Chaminade University women's basketball team.
Like the big game's runners-up, the San Francisco 49ers, the Silverswords couldn't hang on to a double-digit lead on Sunday, allowing the University of Hawai'i Hilo to escape with a 62-55 win on its home court of the Ah-Fook Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The game featured two of the Pacific West Conference's top scorers in Chaminade's
Destiny Castro (Talofofo, Guam/Notre Dame HS) and UH Hilo's Allie Navarette but it was the latter who won the duel.
Castro had 20 points and 11 rebounds – her third double-double in her last five games – but was out-done by Navarette who posted 31 points and 10 boards.
The loss dropped the Silverswords to 4-17 overall and 4-11 in the Pacific West Conference, four games behind sixth-place Fresno Pacific which currently is holding on to the conference's final bid in next month's PacWest Championships in Azusa, Calif., with just seven games remaining.
In the loss, however, Castro moved past Hawai'i Pacific University's Mana Hopkins to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of Division II collegiate women's basketball in Hawai'i with 1,510 points. She is fifth all-time in the state regardless of division and trails fourth-place Kamilah Jackson of the University of Hawai'i who has 1,548 career points. The late Judy Mosley of UH holds the state's college record with 2,479 points.
Ellyonna Bankofier (Happy Valley, Ore./Clackamas) chipped in with nine points for the 'Swords while
Breann Nueku (Honolulu/Clark College/Kamehameha-Kapalama HS) added eight.
Kali Benavente (Tamuning, Guam/Academy of Our Lady of Guam) and
Michaella Dean (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran) each grabbed seven rebounds and Castro had five assists.
The Vulcans improved to 7-12 overall and 6-9 in the PacWest.
With game at a 10-10 deadlock midway through the first quarter, the 'Swords went on quarter-ending 14-1 run courtesy of 3-pointers by Nueku, Castro and Bankofier to give them a 24-11 advantage.
But UH Hilo responded with a 15-3 second quarter to put them down by a single point (27-26) at halftime.
The Vulcans went on a 14-3 surge spanning the third and fourth quarters to give them their largest lead of 11 (48-37) with 7:47 left but Castro poured in 10 of Chaminade's next 12 points while Bankofier's shot tied it at 53 at the 2:35 mark. However, Navarette's layup on the next possession put the Vulcans up for good.
Although they outshot UH Hilo percentage-wise (45.3 to 35.7) and outrebounded them 33-32, the 'Swords committed 21 turnovers which resulted in 21 Vulcans' points and were just 4-of-11 from the free throw line. UH Hilo made 17-of-26 from the charity stripe.
The Silverswords embark on a five-game trip to the mainland starting Saturday when they face No. 17 Azusa Pacific at the Felix Event Center. Tipoff is slated for 2:15 p.m. Pacific time.
