HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Azusa Pacific dropped its second PacWest game of the season, as the visiting Cougars fell to Chaminade by a 96-85 final on Wednesday night.
Azusa Pacific held just one lead in the contest, as
Noah Bundrant scored a two-point basket 10 seconds into the game to go up 2-0. Chaminade took the lead for good at the 18:33 mark in the first half, when the Silverswords' Eliet Donley knocked down a three-point shot to take a 5-2 lead.
Chaminade's biggest lead came in the second half, as the Silverswords went up 73-53 with 9:09 remaining in regulation. The Cougars were able to cut the deficit down to single digits with 1:42 remaining, as
Brennan Rymer hit a three-point jumper to bring the score to an 87-78 advantage for Chaminade. The Silverswords would be fouled on the ensuing possession, as Kendall Small hit two free-throws to put them back up by double-digits at 89-78, and ultimately seal the victory.
Chaminade shot 55% from the floor (33-for-60) and 40% from deep (6-for-15), while the Cougars finished 43% overall (31-for-72) and 32.5% from beyond-the-arc (13-for-40). The Silverswords were able to create the biggest separation in the contest from the free throw line, as they went 24-for-29 from the charity stripe (82.8%), compared to just 10 makes on 17 attempts (58.8%) for the Cougars.
"Our problem was on the defensive end tonight," said head coach
Peter Bond, "we need to be complete defenders. That means that we must do more than just hug our man and not let him catch it, but instead we need to work together as a full unit, covering for one another and not turning it into a one-on-one game. When I look at the glaring mismatch from the free throw line tonight, I know that's a result of guys being out position and being forced to foul to prevent easy scores."
Offensively, the Cougars had three players score in double figures. Rymer led the way with 23 points, Spurgeon finished with 16, and Bundrant added 13 points. For Chaminade, the Silverswords were led by Tyler Cartaino, who finished with 36 points on the evening.
With the loss, Azusa Pacific is now 5-3 overall, and 0-2 in conference play. The Cougars wrap up the trip to the Hawaiian Islands with a game on Friday, December 6 at Hawai'i Pacific. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 pm (HST)/8:30 pm (PST).
