HILO, Hawai'i – Entering the 2024-25 season, the Chaminade University men's basketball team had experienced four straight losing seasons. Their inability to beat their oldest rival, the University of Hawai'i Hilo, coincided with those struggles.
Entering Thursday's matchup against the Vulcans, the Silverswords had lost 12 of the previous 13 matchups including seven straight, the longest such streak since the intercollegiate series began in 1975 when UH Hilo, coached by the legend, Jimmy Yagi, won the first nine meetings.
But in their penultimate game of this season, the 'Swords managed to reverse the curse.
Five Silverswords, led by former Vulcan
Kameron Ng's (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Univ. of Hawai'i Hilo/Saint Francis HS) 15 points – one shy from his career high – hit double figures in the scoring ledger to help Chaminade snap the streak with an 86-76 win at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium and split this season's series. It also eased the sting from Monday's Aloha Senior Night defeat to Fresno Pacific.
The win also snapped a five-game skid to the Vulcans in Hilo, dating back to February 2020 while avenging their 19-point defeat back in December, which was their largest margin of defeat to UH Hilo since a 95-67 loss in January 1995.
The 'Swords improved to 16-10 on the season and 10-9 in the Pacific West Conference. UH Hilo's loss, combined with Hawai'i Pacific University's win at Dominican earlier in the evening, put both teams in a tie for the fifth and sixth spots for the six-team PacWest Tournament in three weeks. Chaminade is just percentage points behind their two island rivals for the final bid.
Fletcher MacDonald (Wollongong, Australia/Lubbock Christian Univ./Newington College HS) and
Jackson Last (Hurricane, Utah/Robert Morris University/Hurricane HS) each added 14 points while
Roland Banks II (Bakersfield, Calif./Fullerton College/Cathedral HS) added 13 and
Amound Anderson (Los Angeles, Calif./Fullerton College/Leuzinger HS) with 11.
MacDonald and
Kent King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) both had six boards.
Andre Norris led the Vulcans (15-10, 8-7 PacWest) with 19 points. Jake Kosakowski, who has terrorized CUH from 3-point range (14-of-30 in three career games), hit four of nine triples for 12 points.
The largest lead of the first half was UH Hilo at 20-13 at the midway point. A Last 15-footer started a run by CUH, which scored nine of the final 11 points before the break, culminated by
Jamir Thomas' (Berkeley, Calif./City College of San Francisco/Berkeley HS) 3-pointer with 29 seconds left, to take a 39-35 edge at halftime.
The Vulcans were on the verge of pulling away after former Silversword
Jessiya Villa hit a floater to put UH Hilo up, 67-61, at the halfway point of the second half. But
Kris King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) hit a layup which began the game's decisive 13-0 surge during a four-minute span, capped by Last's 3-pointer, putting CUH up, 74-67.
The Vulcans closed to within six several times but the 'Swords made eight of their final nine trips to the free throw line to claim the win.
Chaminade hit 47.5 percent of its field goal tries, made six triples and was 24-of-29 at the foul line. The Vulcans made 43.5 percent from the field, hit 10 3s and were 12-of-16 at the charity stripe.
Despite being out-rebounded, 42-to-32, Chaminade committed just five turnovers, forced 15 on UH Hilo and outscored them, 23-to-7, off giveaways.
The Silverswords will get two weeks off and close the regular season on Thursday, Feb. 27 at rival HPU. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
