BELMONT, Calif. – The Chaminade University men's basketball team on Saturday made their second mainland trip of the season.
Unlike their first trip that saw them play an exhibition slate against three Division I foes in the Midwest, the Silverswords opened a three-game trip which counts in the Pacific West Conference standings.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) made nine of 12 shots from the floor including five 3-pointers, one off his season high, for 29 points but Chaminade still came out on the short end of a 74-71 decision to Academy of Art at the Walter Gleason Gymnasium on the Notre Dame de Namur campus
Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./Gannon University/West Linn HS) added 16 for the 'Swords while
Raazhel Watkins (Concord, Calif./Sacramento State/College Park HS) got 15 as Chaminade fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the Pacific West Conference.
Olsen also pulled down seven rebounds for the 'Swords while
Ross Reeves (Orem, Utah/Snow College/Orem HS) dished out five assists.
Academy of Art, the defending PacWest Tournament champions, got 17 points each from Mike Asante and Deang Deang to improve to 6-3 and 1-2 in the PacWest.
Although the 'Swords have traditionally dominated the series against ART U by a 20-5 count, the teams have split the last eight meetings. All four of the Urban Knights' wins during the current span have been at home.
A common theme for the Silverswords in two of their three losses entering Saturday was their quick starts and the tendency to surrender double-digit leads. The same was true against the Urban Knights.
Chaminade's first five field goals were beyond the arc with Olsen dropping two. He later got a layup followed by another from
Jalen Brattain (Shallowater, Texas/Lubbock Christian Univ./Shallowater HS) which gave them a 19-7 lead six minutes into the game.
The Urban Knights went on a 14-4 run and tied it at 32 with four minutes left. But Amaral-Artharee went on a tear, burying three straight triples including his fourth of the game as the horn sounded to put Chaminade up 41-38 at halftime.
The 'Swords continued to be in front on the scoreboard until 13:54 left when ART U took its first lead at 49-48 on a Will Balata layup. Chaminade remained without a field goal for over four minutes, allowing the Urban Knights to build their lead to 57-51.
A 9-1 Silverswords' run capped by Amaral-Artharee's 10-footer would give them their first lead in nearly 10 minutes at 62-60. But the Urban Knights responded with six straight points and never surrendered the lead again. The 'Swords stayed within one score but Academy of Art hit five of its last free throw tries to extend to a two-possession lead.
Chaminade shot 41 percent from the floor and made 11 triples, the fifth time this season the team has topped double-digit 3s. However, they were out-rebounded, 46-to-28, including 17-to-6 on the offensive glass, resulting in ART U outscoring CUH, 21-5, in second chance points.
Both teams struggled at times to take care of the ball with Chaminade committing 15 giveaways while ART U turned it over 17 times.
Free throws also proved to be a key component. The 'Swords benefited from two second-half technical free throws on flopping calls but also missed two front ends of 1-and-1s that would have resulted in a potential tie game down the stretch.
The Silverswords will be at Holy Names on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Hawai'i time.
