HONOLULU – On Saturday, the Chaminade University men's basketball team got a late first-half run to zip past the University of Hawai'i Hilo with a 97-point barrage.
However, in the backend of their season-opening two-game series, their potent offense was held in check in suffering a disappointing 69-68 loss Sunday at McCabe Gymnasium.
Unlike Saturday's contest which saw the Silverswords (1-1) go on a 21-7 run to help end the first half, the big surge never came on Sunday despite nearly rallying from a double-digit deficit.
And for the second straight contest, redshirt sophomore guard
Kevin Kremer (Chico, Calif./Utah/Pleasant Valley HS) posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) was the team's high scorer with a career-best 20 points, knocking down four 3-pointers.
Garrett Seagren (Oakland, Neb./Oakland-Craig) posted the best numbers of his brief playing career with 10 points and seven boards.
DeRay Seamster (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) added six rebounds while
Roman Young (Wichita, Kan./Mineral Area College/Sunrise Christian Academy) had team-high four assists.
UH Hilo (3-1) was led by Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones' 18 points. The loss not only snapped a four-game winning streak against UH Hilo, it was Chaminade's first loss to the Vulcans at McCabe Gym, dating back to March 2, 2009, a streak of 14 straight wins.
Like they did in the first meeting, the Vulcans found success in breaking the 'Swords' press although they were able to sustain it for a longer period of time. Their willingness to run up and down the floor helped them open up a 10-point lead midway through the first half which forced the 'Swords to use two timeouts.
Chaminade eventually battled back in the second half. Amaral-Artharee drilled a triple with 4:46 left, giving the Silverswords a 56-55 lead, their first since it was 11-10 in the game's opening minutes.
The final four minutes were a showcase of clutch shots by both teams. Kremer and Young each put the 'Swords ahead down the stretch while Tait-Jones and Darren Williams also had lead-changing scores. Steven Hubbell and Tait-Jones also provided clutch baskets to give UH Hilo a pair of four-point leads. Chaminade replied with a driving layup by
Jessiya Villa (Martinsburg, W. Va./Hawai'i/Kahuku HS, Hawai'i) and a big 3-pointer by Seagren with seven seconds left to narrow the deficit to one.
Chaminade still had a chance for the win but a desperation half-court heave at the buzzer was well off-target.
The 'Swords shot 38.8 percent from the floor while making 11 triples. Although they outrebounded the Vulcans, 46-35, they committed 22 turnovers which UH Hilo converted to 26 points.
The Silverswords are next in action Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Hawai'i Pacific University. The game is a makeup of the Jan. 22 postponement.
