HONOLULU – The Chaminade University men's basketball team on Monday opened the Allstate Maui Invitational with an 83-56 loss to No. 1 Kansas at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Wyatt Lowell (Gilbert, Ariz./University of Portland/William Fields HS),
Ross Reeves (Orem, Utah/Snow College/Orem HS) and
Jamir Thomas (Berkeley, Calif./City College of San Francisco/Berkeley HS) each had 12 points for the Silverswords
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) and
Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas/College of the Sequoias/Wylie HS) each added seven points while the latter pulled down five rebounds. Amaral-Artharee also had four assists.
The Jayhawks, ranked No. 1 in both Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, got 31 points and 11 rebounds from Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, who shot 15-of-18 from the field.
Chaminade is 1-3 on the season while Kansas improved 4-0. The tournament was moved to the University of Hawai'i campus as the Lahaina Civic Center, the traditional home to the Allstate Maui Invitational, is still being used as an emergency facility following August's deadly Lahaina wildfires.
The Silverswords, who fell to 0-5 all-time against one of the blue bloods of college basketball, made it known that they would not go away throughout the contest. KU built its first double-digit lead midway through the first half at 21-9 before a 9-2 Chaminade run, spurred by five points from Ator, to cut the deficit to 25-20, forcing the Jayhawks to call a timeout.
Kansas responded on a 10-2 run to build the lead back to double digits, helping them take a 39-27 edge at halftime.
Ator scored the first bucket of the second half, making it a 10-point deficit. The 'Swords would continue to hang with the nation's top team, trailing 48-37 four minutes in. Another Kansas run, this time at 13-2 gave them their first 20-point lead and eventually, the victory.
The Silverswords were held to a 33.9 percent clip while the taller and athletic Jayhawks shot at a 60 percent clip. Rebounding was also decidedly in favor of Kansas at 41-to-26. However, the 'Swords, who surrendered double-digit offensive boards in their first three games this season, kept the Jayhawks from getting second chance opportunities and out-rebounded them on the offensive end, 8-to-7, and just gave them just five second-chance points.
The Silverswords will play in a consolation game on Tuesday at noon against UCLA, ranked No. 24 in the coaches poll. It will be the fourth all-time meeting between the 'Swords and Bruins.
