HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's basketball team on Saturday ended their season opening home stand with a 66-55 defeat to Fresno Pacific at McCabe Gymnasium.
Dallas Martinez (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Whittier College/Sacred Hearts Academy) scored a season-high 20 points, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the floor as the Silverswords fell to 2-5 on the season and 0-2 in the Pacific West Conference.
Sameera Elmasri (Shawnee, Kan./Birmingham-Southern Univ./Saint Thomas Aquinas HS) and
Morgan Escobedo (Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle) each had nine points in the loss with the former pulling down a team-high seven rebounds.
Emma Morris (Tucson, Ariz./Tanque Verde) added six points while she and
Dezaray Carter (Honolulu/Sacred Hearts Academy) each had three assists.
The Sunbirds (5-2, 1-0 PacWest) outscored the 'Swords, 38-28, in the second half. Breanna Hurt had 16 points for Fresno Pacific.
The Sunbirds, who subbed in players at nearly every dead ball throughout the afternoon, played 12 of their 13 on the roster in the first quarter with each seeing at least a minute of action and led for a majority of the first half.
However, Martinez helped Chaminade's cause by making two shots with just seconds left in both the first and second quarters. The senior's first buzzer-beating shot was a foul-line jumper with five seconds left to force a 12-all tie after the first 10 minutes while second was a driving layup before time expired to cut their deficit to 28-27 at halftime.
Martinez's 3-pointer with 2:54 left in the third quarter gave Chaminade a 39-37 lead, its first since it was 14-12 in the second quarter. Aaliyah Seuell responded with a triple of her own on the ensuing possession to put FPU ahead for good.
Down 51-46 with less than a minute gone in the fourth quarter, the 'Swords made just two baskets over the next eight minutes as the Sunbirds expanded their lead to as many as 64-52 in the waning minutes.
Chaminade shot 31 percent from the floor and made 16-of-21 from the charity stripe. The Sunbirds shot at a 35.8 percent clip but made just 12-of-24 free throws. Fresno Pacific owned the glass with 50 rebounds to Chaminade's 35.
The Silverswords' next six games will all be on the mainland, starting Sunday at Academy of Art. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. Hawai'i time. Their next home game will not be until Saturday, Jan. 13.
