ATHERTON, Calif. – Tuesday's men's basketball game between Chaminade University and Menlo College might have been one of the wildest games in Pacific West Conference history.
The Silverswords, in the road opener of their final three regular season games, took a 17-point first-half lead with the Oaks storming back to go up by 19, only to see the 'Swords rally back to jump ahead on the scoreboard with the game ultimately coming down to the wire.
When the dust settled, Menlo, a three-win squad entering the evening, claimed the upset, getting the game-winning layup from Luke Wieskamp with five seconds left to give them a 99-98 win at Haynes-Prim Pavilion.
The game saw five lead changes in the final 88 seconds alone. Wieskamp was responsible for Menlo's final two lead-changing baskets inside a minute, both coming off offensive rebounds.
Kent King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) poured in a team-high 24 points – two off his career high set against Menlo earlier this season – for the Silverswords, who fell to 13-13 overall. He also had seven rebounds and a career-best seven steals.
Nathan Medina (Long Beach, Calif./Biola University/Valley Christian HS) added 20 points with
Roland Banks II (Bakersfield, Calif./Fullerton College/Cathedral HS) chipping in 13 points including a layup that gave Chaminade its final lead with 23 seconds left.
Fletcher MacDonald (Wollongong, Australia/Lubbock Christian Univ./Newington College HS) had 12 points and
Kris King (Washington, D.C./Vincennes University/Fork Union Military Academy) added 11 with he and Banks dishing out five assists.
With their PacWest mark at 11-9, the 'Swords, who had their three-game win streak snapped, are entrenched in a four-way tie with Concordia, Dominican and Vanguard for the fifth spot in the conference standings. The top six earn a bid to the PacWest Tournament which begins March 5 in San Diego.
Menlo got 31 points from Nick Hugh, who hit 11-of-14 shots from the floor. The Oaks saw their 11-game losing streak come to an end in improving to 4-23 and 4-17 in the PacWest in the final conference meeting between the two programs. Menlo is departing for the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) this summer.
For the first six minutes, it was all Chaminade with a layup from
Mykiah Wyche (San Jose, Calif./Foothill College/Piedmont Hills HS) giving them a 27-10 lead. But in a blink, Menlo used a 32-13 run during a nine-minute span with Quentin Thompson giving them their first lead of the contest at 42-40 late in the half. The comeback helped the Oaks to a 52-48 halftime edge.
Eventually, Menlo rolled to a 79-60 advantage with 14:17 left. That's when the craziness ensued.
The 'Swords flipped the script over the next six minutes, going on a 19-2 surge with five points from
Brandon Haddock (Southlake, Texas/University of Utah/Carroll HS) and four each from
Kent King, Banks and
Nate Sasser III (West Palm Beach, Fla./Casper College/Suncoast HS) while
Kris King's layup with 6:25 left knotted the game at 85.
With 5:01 left, MacDonald put the 'Swords back in front, 90-87, on a three-point play, their first lead in over 17 minutes.
Then with 1:48 left, Menlo seesawed back ahead, 95-94, behind a pair of free throws.
Kent King put CUH ahead with a layup at 1:16, and 26 seconds later, Wieskamp got a putback, pushing the Oaks ahead by a point. On the ensuing possession, Banks grabbed an offensive rebound with his layup putting the Silverswords up, 98-97, with 23 seconds left.
With time winding down, Menlo's layup was missed but Wieskamp was in the right spot with the offensive board and stick-back with four ticks left. The 'Swords then raced down the court but the game-winning layup attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
Chaminade shot 52.2 percent from the field with five 3-points, 21 made free throws, 31 rebounds, 19 assists, 15 steals and 13 turnovers which they converted to 35 points.
Menlo was 49.2 percent, hit 12 triples, made 25-of-32 from the charity stripe, pulled down 37 boards – 13 on the offensive end which resulted in 17 second-chance points – 18 assists with 22 turnovers.
The Silverswords will look to regroup on Thursday at Dominican which has critical PacWest Tournament implications for both teams. Tipoff at the Conlon Center is 25 minutes after the completion of the women's game.
