HONOLULU, Hawaii – A pair of one-sided runs set the tempo early for Chaminade as the host Silverswords pushed past Montana State Billings 82-65 in a non-conference men's basketball game Monday night at McCabe Gymnasium.
The Silverswords jumped out to an early 10-2 advantage, establishing command of the game immediately. Kevin Hu scored six of Chaminade's first 12 points, and
Austin Hudson matched his counterpart's effectiveness with the Yellowjackets' first six points of the game in the opening five minutes.
A 16-0 Chaminade run moving into the middle of the first half made the score 28-6, as the Silverswords continued to distance themselves. James Harper had five points early on as he and Hu combined for 13 of Chaminade's first 24.
"The slow start really hurt us," said MSUB head coach
Jamie Stevens. "We played well for the last 32 minutes but we just started the game too slow to have a chance. I was proud of our guys' effort."
After building the double-digit advantage, Chaminade (4-4) never looked back and shot 47.7 percent from the field in the victory. Hu finished with a game-high 22 points, converting 9 of 12 shots from the floor including 3 of 5 from the foul line. Lee Bailey was close behind with 19 points, and also grabbed four rebounds and had four assists.
A one-handed throw down by
Jordan Perry finally snapped the early scoring spree by Chaminade, and
Jace Anderson followed with a three from the corner to make the score 28-11.
Antoine Hosley finished a layup on the ensuing possession, as the 'Jackets put together a 7-0 run of their own to creep back into the game.
A 3-pointer by Hosley with 7:05 left cut the deficit to 13 points at 33-20, but Hu answered with another trey to push his point total to 13 in the first half and keep a strong lead in his team's hands.
A pair of Harper free-throws made the score 43-29 with less than two minutes remaining. The Silverswords maintained the edge and carried a 45-34 lead into the locker room.
Chaminade came out of the break with its foot on the gas, scoring the first four points of the second period to extend its lead to 15 points. The Silverswords held on to the comfortable lead moving into the middle part of the second half, and a pair of free-throws by Harper made it 60-42 with 14 minutes remaining.
Perry was effective creating chances for MSUB in the second, helping spark a 4-0 run by MSUB to keep a comeback within reach at 60-46 with 12 minutes left.
Kiran Shastri drilled his second three of the game with seven minutes remaining, as Chaminade opened up a 71-52 edge. MSUB scored at a decent clip through the closing minutes, but Chaminade kept a firm grip on the lead and closed out the win without a serious comeback threat from the 'Jackets.
For the Yellowjackets (1-9),
Momir Gataric led the way with 14 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Marc Matthews and Hudson each had 10 points, and
Emmanuel Johnson was the Yellowjackets' leader on boards with six.
MSUB shot a solid 24-for-54 for 44.4 percent from the field and 14-for-20 for 70.0 percent from the free-throw line. The 'Jackets were outrebounded 38-28, and Chaminade had 16 assists compared with 11 for MSUB. The Silverswords' eight steals contributed to 19 Yellowjacket turnovers, and Chaminade outscored MSUB in points off of turnovers 24-15. The teams were dead-even in points in the paint at 42 apiece, and Chaminade held a strong advantage in second-chance points at 21-7.
"We went small and that lineup really sparked us," Stevens said. "We are looking forward to Friday and Saturday for two more chances to get better and ready for GNAC play."
COMING UP: MSUB takes on Hawaii Pacific University on Friday and Ottawa (Kan.) on Saturday to wrap up its final non-conference games of the 2014-15 season. Tip-off against HPU is set for 7:30 p.m. Mountain time with the game against Ottawa slated for a 5 p.m. Mountain time start the next day.
