HONOLULU – In their final home game of the 2023-24 season on Monday, the Chaminade University women's basketball team was three minutes away from pulling off one of the biggest Pacific West Conference upsets this season.
Instead, the Silverswords went cold, allowing Biola University to escape McCabe Gymnasium with a 59-56 win in their home finale.
Sameera Elmasri (Shawnee, Kan./Birmingham-Southern Univ./Saint Thomas Aquinas HS) came off the bench for a team-high 12 points while seniors
Dallas Martinez (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Whittier College/Sacred Hearts Academy) and
Sasha Phillip (Hau'ula, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i Baptist), playing their final home games, added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The 'Swords' third senior playing at home for the last time,
Emma Morris (Tucson, Ariz./Tanque Verde), pulled down eight rebounds. Phillips' points and Morris' boards were both season highs.
Chaminade, which owned a one-point lead with three minutes left, couldn't get a ball to drop, going 0-for-7 the rest of the game and dropping them to 3-19 and 1-16 in the PacWest.
Trasara Alexander had a game-high 15 points for Biola including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:44 left. The Eagles improved to 13-11 and 9-7 in the conference, maintaining a tie with Concordia University Irvine for fifth in the PacWest standings with just over two weeks left in the regular season. The top six teams in the standings earn a berth at the PacWest Championships in San Diego from March 7-9.
Determined to end their home careers in style, Martinez and Phillip combined for 10 of Chaminade's points which helped them take a 15-10 lead after the first 10 minutes. Each had five points during the period including Phillip's first 3-pointer of the season.
However, the 'Swords couldn't find consistency in the second quarter, making just 2-of-13 shots which allowed the Eagles to take a 30-22 halftime lead.
Biola led by as many as 12 in the third quarter (36-24) before Elmasri and
Julien Parado (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) each hit 3-pointers while
Alyssa Schuetze's (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) layup capped a 10-0 Silverswords' run, chopping the deficit to 39-37 with 2:14 left in the third.
With 5:54 left in the game, the Eagles looked to start pulling away with a 52-43 lead after hitting two free throws.
Morgan Escobedo (Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle) got her first bucket to drop on the ensuing CUH possession then
Madison Gage (Broomfield, Colo./Legacy) provided a huge lift, getting a driving layup to fall and burying a triple. Martinez added a bucket then with 3:12 left,
Dezaray Carter (Honolulu/Sacred Hearts Academy) drilled a 3-pointer to give the 'Swords their first lead of the game as the 12-2 surge gave them a 55-54 lead.
But Chaminade couldn't expand its lead over the next two possessions and with 1:44 left, Alexander popped a triple, putting the Eagles up, 57-55. Biola kept the door open by missing three of its next four free throws attempts but the 'Swords couldn't make them pay, missing their final two 3-pointers including one with two seconds left that would have sent the game into overtime.
Chaminade shot 31.3 percent from the field and made 10 3-pointers, tying their season high. The 'Swords had 40 rebounds, 16 assists with Escobedo getting four and three steals, as did Phillip who also had a trio of thefts.
The 'Swords committed just six turnovers, tying the program low set in January 2019 against Concordia.
Biola shot 33.9 percent from the floor, made nine triples and was 11-of-21 from the foul line. They pulled in 49 boards, had 12 assists and 13 turnovers.
Following the game, Martinez, Morris and Phillip were honored for playing their last game in McCabe Gym.
Martinez ranks seventh in career scoring with 594 points, trailing Glacen Florita (2011-15) for sixth all-time. She is also fourth in career free throws (183) and also passed Kali Benavente (2016-20) on Monday for fourth in career assists with 165.
Morris ended her home career ninth in career 3-pointers with 65 and is tied for fifth in career blocks with 37.
Phillip concluded her home career with 278 points and 182 rebounds.
The Silverswords will end the season on the road, starting Saturday at Westmont College. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. Hawai'i time.
