HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's basketball team on Saturday returned home fresh of their first mainland trip of the season.
However the confines of McCabe Gymnasium was not very friendly as the Silverswords dropped a 91-59 non-conference decision to Hope International in the team's final home game of the 2022 calendar year.
Olivia Crigler (Hebron, Ky./Pacific Union College/Holy Cross HS) had a game-high 21 points the 'Swords, her third 20-point contest of the season, while
Dallas Martinez (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Whittier College/Sacred Hearts Academy) added 10 more. Criger also tied her career and season high with eight rebounds while Martinez dished out three assists.
Chaminade fell to 1-9 on the season.
Saiane Talley and Jeanette Fine had 15 each for the Royals (11-2), who are ranked just outside the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Dezaray Carter (Honolulu/Sacred Hearts Academy) and
Emma Morris (Tuscon, Ariz./Tanque Verde) each added five points for Chaminade with the latter recording a block in her sixth straight game. Carter pulled down seven boards.
Down 17-3 midway through the first quarter, Crigler had five points during a 7-1 run, slicing the deficit to 18-10 and forcing the Royals to call a timeout.
But HIU took advantage of a short-handed 'Swords squad down to 10 healthy players, going on an 11-3 run the rest of the second quarter to open up a 44-26 halftime lead. A Chaminade injury late in the half reduced their number to just nine, allowing the Royals to pull away in the third quarter.
Chaminade shot 30.6 percent from the floor and pulled down 45 rebounds, 14 of which came on the offensive end, the second-highest of the season. The 'Swords also forced 19 turnovers.
Hope International shot at a 41.7 clip and hit 15 3-pointers. HIU took a whopping 39 shots from beyond the arc, tying the Chaminade opponent record set by Alaska Anchorage in November 2019. The Royals grabbed 58 boards and dished out 22 assists.
The Silverswords will face nationally ranked Western Washington on Monday at the Hoops in Hawai'i Holiday Classic presented by Outrigger Resorts and Hotels at the Hawai'i Pacific University Shark Tank. The Vikings are ranked eighth in the D2SIDA Media Poll and 10th in the WBCA Coaches Poll and are coming off a season where they were the NCAA Division II runners-up. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
