IRVINE, Calif. – The Chaminade University women's basketball team wrapped up the Southern California portion of their five-game road trip Wednesday with a 79-62 loss to Concordia University Irvine at CU Arena.
The good news, however, was nine Silverswords making at least one field goal to give them a balanced scoring ledger.
Mary-Lee Mitchell (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) posted her third straight double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Olivia Crigler (Hebron, Ky./Pacific Union College/Holy Cross HS) also had 11 points for Chaminade, which fell to 1-21 overall and 1-15 in the Pacific West Conference. Crigler made two 3-pointers on the evening, giving her 47 on the season, leaving her three shy of Samantha Saito's single-season record of 50 set in 2008-09.
Dallas Martinez (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Whittier College/Sacred Hearts Academy) posted nine points with four rebounds and four assists.
Dezaray Carter (Honolulu/Sacred Hearts Academy) and
Lile Hina Oyama (Honolulu/Kalani) both added eight points and four rebounds.
Jasmine Rachal hit five triples for a game-high 26 points for the Golden Eagles, who improved to 15-4 overall and 12-1 in the PacWest to solidify their No. 2 positioning and a first-round bye at the PacWest Championships next month which will be held at McCabe Gymnasium.
Both teams struggled to build a rhythm in the first quarter with Concordia making just 7-of-26 shots for just under 27 percent while Chaminade made six of its 17 tries. However, the 'Swords showed excellent balance with six different players getting in the scoring column as the Eagles took a 19-16 edge after the first 10 minutes.
With Chaminade down 35-24 late in the second quarter,
Paige Relph's (Las Vegas/Waianae, Hawai'i) layup followed by Crigler's first 3-pointer narrowed their deficit to 35-29. But CUI scored the half's final five points to extend to a 40-29 halftime lead.
The Golden Eagles' momentum continued in the third quarter with a 13-2 run in the first four minutes to give them a 22-point lead. Chaminade was outscored, 20-12, in the third which helped send them to their fourth loss during on the current road trip.
The 'Swords actually had a better shooting percentage at 38.6 percent to CUI's 36.8 and, after being out-rebounded by 18 during the first meeting on Jan. 5 in Honolulu, tied the Golden Eagles on the boards with 43 each. The difference proved to be the second half shooting where CUH made just 9-of-25 (26.5 percent) in the final 20 minutes while Concordia was 15-of-34 (44.1).
Both teams made 14-of-18 free throws with the Golden Eagles dishing out 17 assists to Chaminade's nine.
The Silverswords will make the journey up the California coast to the Central Valley and end their road trip Saturday at Fresno Pacific. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m.
