SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Luck apparently never got on the airplane with the Chaminade University men's basketball team on their Bay Area road trip.
For the second time in as many games, the Silverswords suffered a gut-wrenching final possession defeat, this time, coming Wednesday to Dominican University of California at the Conlon Center.
Marcus McCutcheon's driving layup with four seconds remaining gave the Penguins a 74-73 win, sending the Silverswords (3-6, 1-4 Pacific West Conference) to their fourth straight defeat, all by one possession. It was a near repeat of Monday's loss at Holy Names where they lost on a layup in the waning seconds.
Raazhel Watkins (Concord, Calif./Sacramento State/College Park HS) and
Ross Reeves (Orem, Utah/Snow College/Orem HS) each had 18 points for Chaminade, which went 0-3 against the Bay Area schools for the second consecutive year. Their three losses on the trip were by a combined five points while their margin of defeat during their current losing streak is eight.
Jalen Brattain (Shallowater, Texas/Lubbock Christian Univ./Shallowater HS) came off the bench with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas/College of the Sequoias/Wylie HS) had eight points, six boards and three blocks. Reeves had a team-high five assists. If Fresno Pacific were included in previous trips, 2022 marked the first time the 'Swords returned from the Northern California swing without a win.
Jaayden Bush led Dominican (6-4, 3-1 PacWest) with 17 points.
Neither team was able to take control early although Chaminade took its largest first half lead at 22-15 some seven minutes in, thanks to a 10-2 run which saw Reeves account for half of the team's points. But Dominican scored seven of the half's final nine points to pull within 32-30 at halftime.
The Penguins took their first lead (40-39) since early in the game on a three-point play at the 16:42 mark. Then on Chaminade's ensuing possession,
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) got his first points of the game by knocking down a 3-pointer. Dominican managed to forge two ties before Watkins' short baseline jumper put the 'Swords up, 46-44, with 13:02 remaining.
But after two more ties, the Penguins went ahead on a triple by PJ Volz and extended their lead to 72-67 with 2:13 left. Amaral-Artharee's shot jumper inside the paint got the 'Swords to within three and, after forcing a DUC turnover on a shot clock violation, Brattain got a flush on the next possession to make it a one-point game.
Dominican then missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw, resulting in Amaral-Artharee's free-throw-line extended floater, which put the Silverswords up, 73-72, with 17 seconds left. But McCutcheon had the ball in his hands and drove the paint for the game-winner. Chaminade still had one more chance but Amaral-Artharee couldn't convert on a driving layup as time expired to give the 'Swords another heartbreaking loss.
Chaminade shot 50.9 percent from the floor, making seven triples, three by Reeves, with 36 rebounds and 14 assists.
Dominican was 41.6 percent from the field with five 3s and 42 rebounds. However, the Penguins had 20 boards on the offensive glass and outscored Chaminade, 18-4, in second chance points.
The Silverswords return home and will open the Hoops in Hawai'i Holiday Classic presented by Outrigger Resorts and Hotels at the Hawai'i Convention Center. Their opening opponent in the three-games-in-three-days tournament is St. Edward's in the first-ever meeting between the two program. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
