HONOLULU – The Chaminade University women's basketball team on Monday nearly pulled out a miracle finish in the final home game of the 2024-25 season. However, their fourth quarter rally fell short, 61-58, to Fresno Pacific at McCabe Gymnasium.
Sameera Elmasri (Shawnee, Kan./Birmingham-Southern Univ./Saint Thomas Aquinas HS), the Silverswords' lone senior, poured in a game-high 21 points while pulling down nine rebounds with four steals before fouling out in her final home game.
The 'Swords trailed by eight with 4:42 left, rallied to within a point with 10 seconds remaining but could not get a shot off in their final two possessions.
Their rally was in stark contrast to the first meeting between the two teams in Fresno when Chaminade surrendered a 22-point lead before losing in overtime on Jan. 15.
Julien Parado (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) added a career-high 12 points for the 'Swords, eight coming in the final five minutes to help spark their rally. She also had seven boards.
Morgan Escobedo (Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle) chipped in with six points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Chaminade fell to 6-18 overall and, despite falling to 5-13 in the Pacific West Conference, are still mathematically alive to capture the sixth spot and final spot to next month's conference championships, although they will need to win their final two games and get some help along the way.
The Sunbirds (12-12, 8-9 PacWest) did not have a player reach double-digits but 10 players got in the scoring column, led by Anissa Rillo's nine.
The 'Swords trailed by 12 at the end of three quarters and, with 4:09 left, FPU got a jumper from Angela Whitfield to put them up, 59-52. However, that was the Sunbirds' final field goal of the game as Chaminade mounted its comeback.
Elmasri converted a three-point play with 1:59 left to bring CUH to within four. With 10 seconds left, Parado buried a corner triple to put them within a point. However, the 'Swords could not get a shot off in their final two possessions as they looked for a go-ahead and tying shot.
Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field and made six 3-pointers. Chaminade out-rebounded FPU, 43-to-35, but suffered 26 turnovers to Fresno Pacific's 19.
Elmasri, whose career point total is 1,033 which includes one year at Birmingham Southern College, scored her 400th point this season, eclipsing Samantha Saito's 398 for the fourth-highest in single season history. Her 710 points during her three-year CUH career currently ranks fifth all-time.
The Silverswords have two more games left in the season, both against their island rivals. On Thursday, they will be at the University of Hawai'i Hilo with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
