LAHAINA, Maui, Hawai'i – The last time the Chaminade University men's basketball team faced the University of Texas, the Silverswords pulled off a stunning upset in 2012.
In Tuesday's consolation semifinal of the Southwest Maui Invitational, the two met again. This time, the outcome went to the Longhorns by a 119-78 final.
In defeat,
Nathan Medina (Long Beach, Calif./Biola University/Valley Christian HS) hit eight 3-pointers – the fifth-most in tournament history – for a game-high 30 points.
Kent King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) and
Nate Sasser III (West Palm Beach, Fla./Casper College/Suncoast HS) each added 13 points for the 'Swords who fell to 2-3.
Kris King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) pulled in five rebounds while
Roland Banks II (Bakersfield, Calif./Fullerton College/Cathedral HS) dished out three assists.
Medina's performance was the most points by a Silversword in a Southwest Maui Invitational game since Christophe Varidel's 42 against Baylor in the 2013 tournament.
Tramon Mark had 19 points for Texas (5-2), which out-rebounded Chaminade, 59-to-20, and out-scored them 72-30 in the paint.
Banks had two assists, both to Sasser, who threw down consecutive dunks off steals which put the 'Swords up 11-8. After Texas retook the lead, Sasser's two free throws gave CUH a 13-12 edge.
Chaminade managed to stay within single digits for much of the first half before the Longhorns extended the lead to double digits. Texas eventually expanded its lead to 20 but Medina had the highlight of the evening, hitting a half-court 3-pointer as time expired, reducing the deficit to a reasonable 52-36 at halftime.
However, the 'Swords were unable to replicate their late second-half Monday rally against Washington State as the Longhorns pulled away midway through the second half.
Chaminade shot 37.3 percent from the floor with Medina accounting for all eight of their 3-pointers and was 20-of-30 at the free throw line. The 'Swords forced 25 turnovers and outscored the Longhorns, 33-to-17, off giveaways. They also had 18 steals with
Kent King and Banks swiping four each.
Texas shot 65.8 percent from the field, was 11-of-24 from long range and was 12-of-17 at the foul line while dishing out 25 assists.
The Silverswords will wrap up the Southwest Maui Invitational on Wednesday when they face Boise State in the seventh-place game. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN 2.
