La Mirada, Calif. – The Chaminade University men's basketball team on Saturday nearly completed the comeback of the ages. In the end, however, they simply ran out of time.
The Silverswords, who trailed by as many as 23 in the first half, mounted a furious second-half rally to chop a 22-point deficit with 15 minutes left down to just a single point late in the game before falling short, 75-72, to Biola at Chase Gym.
Raazhel Watkins (Concord, Calif./Sacramento State/College Park HS) had 16 points and five assists while
Zach McIntire (Delaware, Ohio/Mercyhurst University/Delaware Hayes HS) added 15 for Chaminade (8-9 overall, 6-5 Pacific West Conference), which saw its three-game winning streak come to an end.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) scored 12 of his 13 points in the second half while
Tredyn Christensen (Eagle Mountain, Utah/Snow College/Westlake HS) contributed with 10 points.
Paris Taylor (Bolivar, Tenn./University of Wisconsin Green Bay/Central HS) pulled down seven boards while scoring six points.
Jesse Elrod had 20 points for the Eagles(12-4, 6-3 PacWest) who swept the season series. The 'Swords had previously gone 3-0 in rematches against foes they lost to earlier this season.
A 23-5 run capped by Chris Rossow's three-point play by gave Biola a 39-16 lead with four-and-a-half minutes left in the first half. The 'Swords responded with 12 straight points of their own with help of 3-pointers from
Sawyer Storms (Idaho Falls, Idaho/College of Southern Idaho/Idaho Falls HS) and Watkins. Even though Rossow hit a short jumper right before the end of the first half, Chaminde's deficit was a manageable 41-28 at halftime.
The Eagles built their lead back to what seemed to be an insurmountable 55-33 edge with 15:33 left in the game but the 'Swords' fortunes began to change. Over the next 15-and-half minutes, Chaminade went on a 25-10 surge, making 10 of its 15 shots including 5-of-6 from long range. Amaral-Artharee also found a rhythm, accounting for eight points during the stretch.
Amaral-Artharee hit back-to-back triples to get the 'Swords to within single digits at 65-58 with 7:17 remaining, making the large Biola crowd feel uneasy. Chaminade continued to inch closer with buckets from Amaral-Artharee and Christensen, which twice got them to within a point. Down 71-70 with 45 seconds left, the 'Swords forced two missed shots but the Eagles got two key offensive rebounds which allowed them to run even more time off the clock.
Biola hit all four of its free throw tries inside of 19 seconds to keep a three-point lead. The 'Swords had one last chance but could not the game-tying 3 to drop as time expired.
Chaminade shot 44.8 percent from the floor, made 9-of-28 from 3-point range but went to the free throw line just five times. The 'Swords also had 32 rebounds and 17 assists while holding Biola to just 41.4 percent shooting and forcing nine of BU's 20 turnovers in the second half.
Biola's 61 percent first-half shooting helped them salvage a 51 percent shooting night while they made 12 of their 14 attempts from the foul line. The Eagles also had 35 rebounds and 20 assists.
The Silverswords continue their Southern California road trip Monday at Azusa Pacific. Due to rising COVID-19 cases in the area, APU athletics administration announced Friday that spectators will not be permitted in the Felix Event Center, effective immediately.
