HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's basketball team ended a seven-game home stand Friday with an 88-47 defeat to Azusa Pacific at McCabe Gymnasium.
Freshman guard
Dezaray Carter (Honolulu/Sacred Hearts Academy) led the Silverswords with 10 points, her third double-digit scoring game of the season, and four assists.
Paige Relph (Las Vegas/Waianae, Hawai'i) added eight points and a team-high five rebounds while
Lile Hina Oyama (Honolulu/Kalani) added seven points for Chaminade which fell to 1-17 on the season and 1-11 in the Pacific West Conference.
Paige Uyehara, the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year, had 21 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau for the Cougars. APU, ranked No. 22 in the latest WBCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, improved to 16-3 and a conference-leading 11-1.
The injury-ravaged Silverswords, down to eight healthy bodies minus their top two scorers, managed to keep pace with the Cougars early on with field goals from
Emma Morris (Tuscon, Ariz./Tanque Verde) and
Sasha Phillip (Hau'ula, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i Baptist), which helped them trail just 9-6. Down 17-10, the 'Swords held APU without a basket in the final three minutes, forcing them to miss their final eight shots of the first quarter.
However, the Coogs rediscovered their touch, going on a 13-2 run early in the second quarter to take a 30-12 lead with 4:43 left in the half. Morris and Relph answered with consecutive buckets to get Chaminade to within 30-16 but APU closed the half on a 13-6 run to take a 43-22 lead at the end of 20 minutes.
Another Azusa Pacific run to start the third quarter, this time at 16-5, closed the books on the 'Swords.
Chaminade shot 38.8 percent from the floor and took just eight 3-pointers while making 8-of-10 free throws. The 'Swords grabbed 32 rebounds and committed just eight fouls.
Azusa Pacific shot 43.9 from the field with 12 triples and made just seven trips to the foul line. The Cougars had 46 boards and dished out 18 assists.
The Silverswords embark on a five-game road trip to southern California, spanning 13 days. They open at Point Loma on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
