HONOLULU – The Chaminade University men's basketball team was nearly down and out in Thursday's meeting with Fresno Pacific University.
Trailing by 11 with two minutes left, the Silverswords nearly pulled a rabbit out of the hat, closing to within a possession in the waning seconds before succumbing in an 83-81 defeat to the Sunbirds at McCabe Gymnasium.
Nathan Medina (Long Beach, Calif./Biola University/Valley Christian HS), mired in a recent shooting slump, had a game-high 21 points and four assists in defeat while
Kent King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) returned from a one-game injury absence to post 17 points and seven rebounds. Twin brother
Kris King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) chipped in with 12 points and five steals.
Brandon Haddock (Southlake, Texas/University of Utah/Carroll HS) and
Fletcher MacDonald (Wollongong, Australia/Lubbock Christian Univ./Newington College HS) each had nine in the scoring column.
The Silverswords, who have dropped six straight after starting Pacific West Conference action at 8-2, fell to 10-12 overall and 8-8 in the conference. After sitting atop the PacWest standings on Jan. 28, their recent slide dropped them into a tie for eighth, although they are just two wins behind their upcoming opponent, Jessup University, for the No. 6 spot.
Nick Davidson and Brandon Gibson Jr. each had 12 points for the Sunbirds (10-13, 9-8 PacWest) in what will likely be the final meeting between the two programs as PacWest members. FPU is departing for the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) next season. They also won their third straight against Chaminade, their longest in the series.
CUH had the makings of ending their losing streak, bolting out to a 15-6 lead five minutes in. But Fresno Pacific outscored the home team, 29-11, over the next nine minutes, hitting 12 of its 15 shots during the run for a 35-26 edge.
The Sunbirds led by as many as 17 early in the second half before Medina hit a pair of 3s as Chaminade went on a 13-2 run to get within 58-52 before FPU stretched its lead back to double digits.
Down 80-69 with just 84 seconds left, Medina and
Kent King made layups, an old fashion three-point play by
Nate Sasser III (West Palm Beach, Fla./Casper College/Suncoast HS) followed by a
Kris King bucket and two
Roland Banks II (Bakersfield, Calif./Fullerton College/Cathedral HS) free throws over a span of just over a minute made it an 81-80 deficit. FPU helped bail out the 'Swords by missing five of its eight free throw tries during the span.
After two Sunbird free throws made it 83-80 with seven seconds left, FPU elected to foul Medina before he could hoist up the potential tying 3. The senior guard made the first free throw but his deliberate attempt to miss the second for a possible tying tip-in landed in the hands of Harrison Pennisi to end any notion of an epic Chaminade comeback.
The 'Swords shot 35.7 percent from the field and were an excellent 25-of-27 at the free throw line. They made six triples, pulled down 29 rebounds, 14 assists against eight turnovers.
Fresno Pacific shot 59.3 percent from the floor, making 8-of-21 from long range and was just 5-for-11 at the charity stripe. They did grab 45 boards and dished out 19 assists but committed 23 giveaways in which Chaminade recycled into 21 points.
The Silverswords will look to get back on track against Jessup on Saturday. Tipoff at McCabe Gym is 25 minutes after the competition of the women's game.
