IRVINE, Calif. – The Chaminade University men's basketball team started hot Thursday but couldn't sustain their momentum, dropping a 70-62 decision to Concordia University Irvine at CU Arena.
Zach McIntire (Delaware, Ohio/Mercyhurst University/Delaware Hayes HS) had 16 points for the Silverswords followed by 13 from
Raazhel Watkins (Concord, Calif./Sacramento State/College Park HS). Both had a team-high seven rebounds while Watkins also dished out six assists.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) and
Kevin Kremer (Chico, Calif./University of Utah/Pleasant Valley HS) added eight each for the 'Swords who fell to 8-11 overall and 6-7 in the Pacific West Conference.
Joseph Smoyer (Portland, Ore./Columbia University/Franklin HS) and Kremer had six rebounds with Smoyer picking up three blocked shots.
Wayne Arnold led Concordia (9-7, 6-4 PacWest) with 22 points as the Eagles and 'Swords split the season series.
McIntire helped the Silverswords jump out to an 8-0 lead, burying a pair of 3s in the first three minutes. But Chaminade went cold from the floor which allowed CUI to crawl back, taking their first lead, 18-17, on a Kayle Knuckles layup with five minutes left in the half. During that 17-minute stretch, the 'Swords made just four of their 27 shots from the floor.
An Eagles triple would extend their lead to 24-19 but Watkins would splash a trey to put Chaminade up 28-26 with 49 seconds left. Rodrick McCobb completed a three-point play 23 seconds later to give CUI a 29-28 halftime lead.
McIntire's layup on CUH's first possession of the second half put them up 30-29 but it would be the last time they were ahead. CUI got a 3-pointer from Kobe Sanders on the ensuing possession to put the Eagles ahead to stay. An 8-0 run midway through gave Concordia its largest lead of 50-39 with 11:37 remaining.
Trailing 61-53 at the 3:15 mark, Amaral-Artharee hit a 3-ball, followed by two Kremer free throws and a Watkins layup which cut the deficit back down to a single point. But Arnold hit a triple at 1:09 left on the next CUI possession to steal the momentum back.
The 'Swords shot just 33.8 percent from the floor and was 6 of 18 from 3-point range. They controlled the glass with a 46-to-34 rebounding edge but made just eight trips to the foul line, making six while Concordia was 12 for 13.
CUI made 43.9 percent from the field but shot 53.8 in the second half. They also had eight blocked shots.
The Silverswords will complete their Southern California road trip Saturday at Point Loma, where they defeated the Sea Lions to begin their road trip on Jan. 20. The game will also be their 14th PacWest contest which would make them the first team in the PacWest to become conference-tournament-eligible.
