SAN FRANCISCO – The Chaminade University women's basketball team ended their three-game northern California road trip Saturday with a 67-66 overtime defeat to Academy of Art at historic Kezar Pavilion.
Dezaray Carter (Honolulu/Sacred Hearts Academy) posted a career-high 13 points while
Kali Jones (Hyrum, Utah/Mountain Crest) pulled down 16 rebounds – 11 in the first half -- which is tied for the fourth highest in program history while adding 10 to the scoring ledger. Nine of her boards were on the offensive end.
Morgan Escobedo (Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle) had 12 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double while
Sameera Elmasri (Shawnee, Kan./Birmingham-Southern Univ./Saint Thomas Aquinas HS) had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Playing in just their second overtime game since the start of the 2017-18 season, the Silverswords surrendered a 15-point third quarter lead as the Urban Knights outscored the 'Swords, 37-23, in the second half to force the extra period.
Chaminade fell to 3-8 overall and 2-3 in the Pacific West Conference while ART U got its first conference victory to improve to 1-3 in the conference, 7-4 overall. Karereatua Williams had 15 for the Urban Knights.
After an even first quarter, the 'Swords scored the first six of their points at the free throw line to begin the second quarter. Carter's two buckets started a 12-0 run, capped by a layup by
Maddy Weaver (Puyallup, Wash./Puyallup) which pushed their lead to 33-17 at the 3:05 mark, their 16-point edge the largest of the game, and eventually 35-21 at the halftime break.
After two Jones free throws pushed Chaminade's lead to 39-24 with 6:57 left in the third quarter, ART U hit three triples, which was part of a 15-3 run to close them to within 42-39 late in the frame.
Chaminade managed to extend its lead to 52-43 on Elmasri's fast-break layup two minutes into the fourth. But another run by Academy of Art, this time at 13-2, allowed them to take a 56-54 lead with 2:33 left, its first since midway through the first quarter. Carter's layup with 97 seconds left put the 'Swords up, 57-56, but Williams responded with a jumper with 29 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Elmasri's three free throws put the 'Swords up, 66-65, with six seconds left. But Williams drew a foul with 1.4 seconds left and knocked down both shots from the charity stripe to put ART U up, 67-66. Elmasri's 15-foot turnover jumper from the right baseline failed to drop at the buzzer.
Chaminade shot 29 percent from the floor and was 26-of-36 from the free throw line but just 9-for-16 combined in the third and fourth quarters. They also did not make a 3-pointer for the second time this season. The 'Swords grabbed 48 rebounds, dished out nine assists to 15 turnovers.
ART U shot at a 34.3 percent clip, was 5-of-21 from long range and made 14-of-15 free throws including all 11 freebies in the second half and overtime. The Urban Knights pulled down 46 rebounds with 11 assists and 20 giveaways while getting seven blocked shots.
The Silverswords will take the mandated Division II Christmas holiday off and will return to action when they open a four-game home stand on Thursday, Jan. 2 against Westmont College. Tipoff is at 1 p.m.
