HONOLULU – The Chaminade University men's basketball team nearly rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit Wednesday before falling just short, 81-77, to Hawai'i Pacific University at The Shark Tank.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) poured in a career-high 27 points in defeat, hitting all five of his 3-pointers in the final 13 minutes.
Kevin Kremer (Chico, Calif./Utah/Pleasant Valley HS) added 15 points and six rebounds while Pacific West Conference Hawai'i Player of the Week
Jessiya Villa (Martinsburg, W. Va./Hawai'i/Kahuku HS, Hawai'i) added 13 with three assists.
The loss dropped the Silverswords to 3-3 in the conference. It was the fourth meeting between the two Honolulu rivals in the past nine days as the teams split the series.
The Sharks were paced by Jacob Foy's 27 points, hitting 10 of his 13 shots. HPU (2-7) won its second straight against the 'Swords, taking back-to-back contests for the first time since winning six straight from 2016 to '17.
Chaminade, a 42.2 percent shooting squad from 3-point range during the year, missed its first 14 tries from long range before finally getting one to drop midway through the second half.
HPU scored the game's first six points before Chaminade rallied and took a 10-9 lead on Kremer's layup. The Sharks answered on a 14-2 run and led by as many as 10 midway through the first half. Villa's layup cut the deficit to 35-32 with 12 second left but Jacob Foy hit one of his own just before the buzzer to put HPU up by five at the break. An 11-2 run to open the second half saw Chaminade's deficit swell to 15 (53-38) some six minutes in.
Amaral-Artharee finally got a 3-pointer to drop with 12:37 left to play, ending the 'Swords' 0-for-14 drought from behind the arc. That seemed to awake the visitors from their downtown slumber, burying five of their next six 3-pointers. Amaral-Artharee hit four of them with
Garrett Seagren (Oakland, Neb./Oakland-Craig) hitting another. Over the next seven minutes, the 'Swords went on a 23-10 run with Amaral-Artharee accounting for 16 of those points.
Chaminade crept closer before Kremer twice put the 'Swords ahead, the final time coming with 3:53 on a pair of free throws to make it 70-69. But Foy sank two of his own on the ensuing possession to put the Sharks up, 71-70, followed by a huge basket from Saturday's 'Swords killer, Rodney Hounshell to give HPU a 74-70 cushion with 1:47 left. A driving layup from
Malik Parsons (San Diego/Wenatchee Valley College/Lincoln HS) on Chaminade's next possession but Foy applied the dagger, drilling a 3 with 34 seconds left to put HPU up 77-72.
Amaral-Artharee made it interesting with his final triple of the game to make it a one-possession game (79-77) with 12 seconds remaining but Rowlands sealed it with two free throws to put the game out of reach.
After missing their first 14 from 3-point range, the 'Swords made six of their last nine tries which helped get them back into the game. However the Sharks made 15 of their 16 free throws which helped thwart the Chaminade comeback.
CUH made 45.2 percent of its shots compared to HPU's 52.7. The 'Swords were out-rebounded, 35 to 30, and out-assisted, 18 to 14.
The Silverswords will venture off the island for the first time this season when they face the University of Hawai'i Hilo at the UH Hilo Gymansium on Saturday and Sunday. Tipoff times for both games are set for 3 p.m.
