HONOLULU – After a convincing 47-point win over Northwest Indian College on Tuesday, the Chaminade University men's basketball team jumped back into NCAA Division II competition on Friday against the University of Alaska Anchorage to open the Alaska-Hawai'i Challenge at McCabe Gymnasium, the 11th straight iteration of the tournament.
 
Casey Steadmon (Louisville, Ky./Hawai'i Pacific University/Bethlehem HS), who set a career scoring high of 21 points against NWIC, did it again, this time with a 24-point effort, hitting 10-of-14 shots including four 3-pointers, helping the Silverswords hold off the Seawolves in their 85-78 win.
 
Sam Sivulich (Ogden, Utah/Snow College/Northridge HS) added 17 points and also dished out seven assists to help the Silverswords pick up their first win this season against a fellow D-II squad to improve to 2-3.
 
Nate Law (Houston/Oklahoma Wesleyan University/St. Thomas Episcopal HS) added 14 points while Ryan Raad (Los Angeles/College of Southern Nevada/Crescenta Valley HS) hit for 12, all coming from long distance.
 
The 'Swords, who were just 5-of-18 from 3-point range in the first half, caught fire in the second, drilling 9-of-15 to help them stave off the Seawolves.
 
Walker Timme, whose brother Drew was an All-American at Gonzaga and is currently on the roster of the NBA's Phoenix Suns, was 12-of-13 from the floor for 26 points. He nailed his first 12 shots before an off-balanced 3-pointer with nine seconds left with the game well-decided ended his night of perfection from the field.
 
The 'Swords led the entire first half and was on top in the scoreboard for 30:18 of the game. It wasn't until 18:01 left in the second half when the Seawolves took their first lead, 44-41, on a triple from Sylas Williams. UAA led a majority of the next nine minutes and owned a 60-56 edge.
 
Steadmon knotted it at 62 with a triple with 8:12 left then on the ensuing possession, Sivulich intercepted a Quincy Byas pass in front of the Seawolves bench and drove in for the go-ahead layup.
 
A Logi Gudmundsson (Kopavogur, Iceland/Breidablik Kopavogur) basket on Chaminade's next possession gave them a three-point edge but Alaska Anchorage kept hanging around. It wasn't until a Gudmundsson corner 3 that bounced off the rim, off the glass and in the net to put the 'Swords up 75-70 with 4:12 remaining which sparked a 10-3 run, capped by Raad's final 3-pointer, giving them a nine-point cushion with just under two minutes left.
 
Chaminade shot 51.7 percent from the floor and although they made just nine of 14 free throws, countered it with 14 made shots beyond the arc. Their press defense also forced 20 UAA giveaways which CUH turned into 20 points. Chaminade's bench also outscored the Seawolves, 34-to-9.
 
Alaska Anchorage shot a healthy 57.8 from the field including 60 percent in the final 20 minutes which limited CUH to just 10 second-half rebounds. The Seawolves out-boarded the 'Swords, 32-to-26, but also got to the line with 35 shots at the charity stripe, making 22.
 
The Silverswords conclude the annual challenge against their northern counterparts on Saturday against the University of Alaska at McCabe Gym. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., or 25 minutes after the completion of the women's game.