UCLA’s size, paint presence overwhelms Chaminade in 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational

UCLA’s size, paint presence overwhelms Chaminade in 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational

HONOLULU, HI – NOVEMBER 21: UCLA Bruins forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) grabs a rebound against the Chaminade Silverswords during the second round of the Allstate Maui Invitational on November 21, 2023, at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire)

UCLA’s size, paint presence overwhelms Chaminade in 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOV 21, 2023

HONOLULU — Day 2 of the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational brought a familiar fate as the opener for the host Chaminade Silverswords (1-4, 0-1 PacWest), giving another men’s college basketball blue blood in UCLA a challenge in the semifinal of the consolation bracket of the tournament before falling to the Bruins, 76-48. The Swords entered the locker rooms down 15 and cut the deficit as low as 10 with 14 minutes to play before a near-seven-minute scoring drought allowed UCLA to pull away for a larger final margin. 

Things did not start well for the Swords, struggling offensively to open the day’s second game while seeing UCLA push the pace and get to the rim at will as the Bruins took a lead as big as 24 in the first 10 minutes of play and forcing multiple early timeouts by Chaminade head coach Eric Bovaird. The timeouts proved to be a calming measure for the 13th-year head coach’s team, sparking an 11-2 CUH run to make it a 15-point game with just under eight minutes left in the first half. The teams traded turnovers and stops for most of the remainder of the opening 20 minutes, each mustering six more points before heading into the locker rooms with the same 15-point margin separating the two, 36-21. 

UCLA opened the 2nd half with a fury, jumping back up by 19 points before Chaminade cashed in on three straight threes to cut the Bruins’ lead back down to 10 with 14:24 left in regulation. The Pac-12 representatives flexed their athletic muscles once again and saw freshman guard Sebastian Mack continue his fantastic tournament to keep and extend the Bruins’ lead to 15 once again. UCLA would turn up the defensive pressure as the clock ticked under eight minutes, holding Chaminade without a field goal for the final 6:51 of the game on the way to an impressive 76-48 victory over the Division II program out of the Pacific West conference.  

Mack led the Bruins in scoring for the second consecutive day with 16 points, chipping in six rebounds for good measure. Three Bruins finished in double-digits and nine of 12 players that saw action for UCLA recorded points in the win as the team moves into the 5th place game versus #11 Gonzaga on Wednesday.  

Chaminade was led by 5-foot-10 guard Jamir Thomas’ 17 points (5 3PTM) as the Swords forced a blue-blood program to play its starters deep into the 2nd half for the second game in a row. Redshirt sophomore Ross Reeves stuffed the stat sheet as well, dropping 11 points, five boards and four dimes in the loss. Chaminade takes on Syracuse in the 7th place game with tip-off scheduled for 4:30 p.m. HT on Wednesday. Hawai’i Sports Radio Network is your home for all Chaminade Silverswords men’s basketball games throughout the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational, broadcasting on 95.1 FM, AM 760 and streaming on hawaiisportsradio.com and available on demand where most podcasts can be found. 

Shooting woes sink Chaminade against Kansas in Day 1 of Allstate Maui Invitational

Shooting woes sink Chaminade against Kansas in Day 1 of Allstate Maui Invitational

Shooting woes sink Chaminade against Kansas in Day 1 of Allstate Maui Invitational

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOV 20, 2023

HONOLULU — The opening round of the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational, often referred to as the “greatest field ever” for the event, saw an impossible task set in front of host Chaminade as the Silverswords were matched up against Kansas, the top team in collegiate men’s basketball via the most recent AP rankings. 

Despite the “David and Goliath” nature of the matchup, Chaminade fought tooth and nail to make the top-ranked Jayhawks sweat with a competitive first half, forcing more turnovers and grabbing more offensive rebounds to keep the deficit at 12 points going into the half. The Swords were able to keep the game within reach during a 1st half that saw Kansas hold 6th-year senior and leading scorer for Chaminade Isaac Amaral-Artharee scoreless. 

That changed quickly into the 2nd half as the teams traded baskets out of the locker rooms and Amaral-Artharee entered the box score with a made 3-pointer to cut the Swords’ deficit to 11. While Chaminade continued to fight on the offensive glass and make ball security tough for Kansas, Hunter Dickinson proved to be too much for the tournament hosts. The 7-foot-2 center finished with a game-high 31 points and 11 boards, shooting an efficient 15-for-18 from the field and hitting one of his two three-point attempts as Kansas slowly pulled away late to put away Chaminade, 83-56. Kansas G Kevin McCullar Jr continued his box-sheet stuffing ways with a triple-double, totaling 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 10 dimes for the Jayhawks. Kansas dominated inside the painted area, outscoring Chaminade 58-22 inside the lane and hammering home eight dunks in a contest that KU led from wire-to-wire. Kansas played at a different pace than CUH as well, outscoring the Swords on the fast break, 27-6. 

Chaminade was led by the trio of Jamir Thomas, Ross Reeves and Wyatt Lowell, each of whom finished with 12 points. Scott Ator and Isaac Amaral-Artharee each chipped in seven points of their own in the loss for the Silverswords, who shot 34% from the field and 19% from 3-point range on 31 attempts and now will take on the UCLA Bruins in the 1st round of the consolation bracket on Tuesday at noon HT / 5pm ET. 

UCLA fell in the final game of the opening round of the tournament, a thriller that finished in favor of #4 Marquette, 71-69. Hawai’i Sports Radio Network is your home for all Chaminade Silverswords men’s basketball games throughout the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational, broadcasting on 95.1 FM/AM 760 and streaming on hawaiisportsradio.com and available on demand where most podcasts can be found. 

Rainbow Wahine earn 1st win against San Francisco in Bank of Hawai’i Classic

Rainbow Wahine earn 1st win against San Francisco in Bank of Hawai’i Classic

Rainbow Wahine earn 1st win against San Francisco in Bank of Hawai’i Classic

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOV 19, 2023

HONOLULU — No place like home. 

After a trying road trip to open the season for the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine basketball team that saw a tough challenge in nationally-ranked Stanford before falling in another test without preseason all-conference selection Lily Wahinekapu versus a high-quality Santa Clara squad, UH returned home for the Bank of Hawai’i Classic that featured a field of San Francisco, Idaho and Cal State Fullerton still searching for a victory. 

The Rainbow Wahine found that elusive victory Friday afternoon, using a strong defensive effort in the 3rd quarter to pull away from San Francisco and take down the Dons, 65-51. It wasn’t pretty early as San Francisco and Hawai’i traded runs in a tightly contested opening half of play. The Rainbow Wahine led the Dons, 14-12, after one and held that same two-point advantage going into halftime after USF furiously cut down the eight-point deficit in the final two minutes and 37 seconds of the quarter. 

Hawai’i responded with an impressive effort on the defensive end in the 3rd quarter, holding San Francisco to just two makes from the floor in the frame to take a 10-point advantage into the 4th quarter. The defending Big West champions held the Dons at arms’ length for the remainder of the night, knocking down a total of 12 3-pointers to pick up the first win of the year, 65-51. Brooklyn Rewers led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds for Hawai’i in the win. 

The second night of the Bank of Hawai’i Classic was not as kind to the hosting Rainbow Wahine, who fell to the Idaho Vandals on Sunday, 50-40. UH struggled offensively out of the gates once again, seeing Idaho jump out to a 14-7 lead after one quarter of play and 30-17 through 20 minutes. 

The Rainbow Wahine saw the early-season offensive woes continue, unable to muster a field goal in the final 5:06 of the first half as the deficit increased. Shooting woes weren’t the only issue facing UH as Idaho held advantages on the glass and in turnover margin, though 20% shooting on 25 shots in the 1st half played an influential role in putting the ‘Bows in a deeper pit than they could get out of. 

UH opened the 2nd half of play with a fury, outscoring the Vandals 12-3 in the 3rd quarter despite continuing to struggle keeping Idaho off of the offensive glass to make it a four-point game heading into the final 10 minutes. The Rainbow Wahine continued to keep it close throughout the 4th but could never break through, as the Vandals answered with timely baskets to close out the 50-40 victory over the tournament hosts. 

“Tough one for us tonight, from playing great team basketball on Friday to not-great team basketball tonight,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman said following the loss to Idaho. “I think our energy was really flat in the 1st half, we had a really good 3rd quarter, we came out with some defensive intensity. We still didn’t score the ball like we should have, holding a team to as few points as we did, we should’ve scored the ball more, but we didn’t get off the ball, we had sticky hands.” 

Hawai’i falls to 1-3 with the weekend split and won’t be back in action until Friday evening when Air Force comes to town for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown featuring UH, AFA, Idaho State and Washington. 

Imani Perez led UH in scoring with 12 points against Idaho, securing all-tournament team honors for Hawai’i alongside junior forward Brooklyn Rewers. 

2023 Allstate Maui Invitational’s “best field ever” set to tip-off Monday

2023 Allstate Maui Invitational’s “best field ever” set to tip-off Monday

2023 Allstate Maui Invitational’s “best field ever” set to tip-off Monday

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOV 19, 2023

HONOLULU — #1 Kansas, #2 Purdue, #4 Marquette, #7 Tennessee, #11 Gonzaga, top-25 honorable-mention UCLA, Syracuse and Chaminade. An in-season tournament to bolster resumes for March. A bigger purpose in the end. 

The head coaches of the eight teams making up the field for the 40th annual Maui Invitational sat adjacent one another Sunday morning at the Hawai’i Convention Center, sharing smiles and quick quips with the media ahead of what looks to be one of the strongest in-season tournament fields ever. 

With five of the eight teams in the AP Top 25 coaches’ poll from Nov. 13, a UCLA program that received top-25 consideration, a Syracuse program under new leadership in first-year HC Adrian Autry that has never lost in the event historically, and Cinderella-hopefuls in host Chaminade, hype for the annual event has grown for months. Following the devastation and destruction of the wildfires on Maui, the tournament site was shifted from the historic Lahaina Civic Center to the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa’s SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center so that the usual location of the event could serve as a hub for recovery efforts on Maui. 

Members of the field quickly worked to find ways to help and found it to be the participating programs’ duties to help in any way possible. The number one team in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks, played an exhibition game against Illinois to benefit the island of Maui that doubled as a learning experience on the court. The Jayhawks fell at Illinois, 82-75, learning quickly how human the team was despite the national love. Matched up first against host Chaminade, who helped in the creation of the tournament with an upset over three-time national player of the year Ralph Sampson and top-ranked Virginia in 1982, Self is intent on not allowing history to repeat itself. 

“We’ll definitely address that with our players and today’s practice will totally be committed to preparation for Chaminade,” the Jayhawks’ head coach said Sunday when asked about the 41-year-old upset. “It’s [a nervous feeling] because [Chaminade] is playing with house money, nothing to lose… We have got to play loose, too. You’ve got to learn how to play in games like this, so this will be good for our guys.” 

While an update in the upset-record books for the Silverswords is the dream, Chaminade looks to benefit from what multiple coaches and media members have referred to as the “best field ever” over the course of the three-day event. The Swords are guaranteed to play one of the two teams from Marquette-UCLA on the second day of the tournament, two more schools who secured top-4 seeds in last year’s NCAA tournament. 

Overall, the field outside of Chaminade features programs that have a combined 37 appearances in the event, led by Kansas’ eight appearances and followed closely by UCLA’s seven trips. With plenty of experience in the head coaching chairs, the hardwood chess matches begin on Monday at 9:30 am HT/2:30 pm ET with Tennessee taking on Syracuse. Orange HC Adrian Autry, who took over this offseason for longtime head coach and Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, is entering the week confident despite being the freshest among the coaches in the first seat. 

“It’s exciting. I’m a competitor,” Autry said of being involved in such a stacked field. “You know, Syracuse, we don’t take a backseat to anyone. We want to come out, we want to compete, we want to be a part of these things… to be a part of these events and be in a field like this, that speaks to your university, to your program.” 

That field, one that 25th-year Gonzaga head coach Mark Few confidently stated was the “greatest field that’s ever been assembled in one of these tournaments” Sunday morning, will pit All-American Zach Edey and #2 Purdue against Few’s nationally-ranked Zags in the first round after the conclusion of Tennessee-Syracuse. After the Boilermakers and Bulldogs finish up, #1 Kansas and Chaminade will duel before UCLA and #4 Marquette close the opening day of action. 

Be sure to tune into Hawai’i Sports Radio Network for all of the Chaminade Silverswords men’s basketball games during the Allstate Maui Invitational, beginning on Monday, November 20 against #1 Kansas at 4pm HT/9pm ET on 95.1 FM, AM 760 and streaming on hawaiisportsradio.com. 

Long shot bowl odds for Hawai’i no more after 42-9 loss at Wyoming

Long shot bowl odds for Hawai’i no more after 42-9 loss at Wyoming

Nov 18, 2023; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors head coach Timmy Chang after the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Long shot bowl odds for Hawai’i no more after 42-9 loss at Wyoming 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOV 18, 2023

The Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (4-8, 2-5 MWC) turned into pumpkins in the 1st half, reverting to an awful October form on Saturday while allowing 35 first-half points to the Wyoming Cowboys (7-4, 4-3 MWC), falling in Laramie, 42-9. With the loss, Hawai’i’s slim bowl hopes were dashed for good. 

In a series that had been known for parity and not having a repeat winner since joining the Mountain West, Wyoming was able to stun UH out of the gate and never allowed them to recover to become the first of the programs to hold onto the Paniolo Trophy for consecutive meetings as MWC members. 

Below, you can find the quick hits of the action from the ‘Bows blowout loss in Laramie. 


1ST HALF: 

  • Wyoming receives the opening kickoff after Hawai’i wins the toss and defers possession to the 2nd half. The Cowboys march down the field in one minute, going 75 yards in three plays to open a 7-0 lead. 
  • Hawai’i’s 1st offensive possession stalls after a delay-of-game penalty makes third-and-manageable into third-and-seven and Schager can’t connect with his receiver. Matthew Shipley pins Wyoming inside its own 15. 
  • The Cowboys strike quicker on the second drive than on the first, as John Michael Gyllenborg takes an Andrew Peasley pass 89 yards to the house. Wyoming extends the lead to 14-0 less than four minutes into the game. 
  • The ‘Bows offense finds some momentum and drives inside the Wyoming 5-yard line before being stopped in its tracks on 4th-and-goal from the WYO2. Cowboys take over with 14-point lead still intact 
  • Hawai’i’s defense able to secure its first stop of the day on 3rd down as Ezra Evaimalo got home to Peasley to force a Wyoming punt to open the 2nd quarter. 
  • The ‘Bows offense goes three-and-out, quickly putting the defense back on the field. Wyoming capitalizes on a fatigued UH defense, going 69 yards in six plays to make it 21-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the opening half of play. 
  • Hawai’i goes three-and-out once again, Wyoming strikes quickly once again. Four plays, 66 yards and a 40-yard TD reception by Wyatt Wieland puts the Cowboys up 28. 
  • After picking up a first down, Hawai’i takes a few deep shots down the field, the last of which is intercepted at the Wyoming 35 and returned inside the Hawai’i 40 to set up the Pokes with the best field position of the day. 
  • The Cowboys capitalized on the turnover three snaps later as Ayir Asante found paydirt on a 6-yard rush to push the lead to 35 with 2:35 left in the 2nd quarter. 
  • Hawai’i’s offense drives deep into Cowboys’ territory before Schager is intercepted for the 2nd time in as many drives, this time in the end zone on a miscommunication with Steven McBride. The ‘Bows come up empty on offense again and Wyoming runs out the remaining clock of the 1st half to take the 35-0 lead into the locker room. 

Brayden Schager eclipsed the 6,000-yard career passing yard threshold in the 1st half, becoming the 7th QB in UH program history to achieve the feat. The junior also went over the 3,000-yard mark for passing yards this season in the opening half of play. 

2ND HALF: 

  • The Rainbow Warriors receive the opening kickoff of the 2nd half but are only able to muster one first down before being forced to punt the ball away. 
  • UH’s Justin Sinclair rips the ball free from Wyoming’s Treyton Welch, recovers the fumble and returns it inside the Cowboys’ 25-yard line, trying to spark the sleepwalking ‘Bows. 
  • Hawai’i gets on the board with a 30-yard FG by Matthew Shipley, making it 35-3 with 8:37 remaining in the 3rd quarter. 
  • Hawai’i’s defense strings together consecutive stops for the first time all game, forcing Wyoming’s offense to go three-and-out and punt the ball back the UH. 
  • The Rainbow Warriors’ offense finds the end zone for the first time all day with Chuuky Hines’ first career TD catch, a 19-yard strike from Schager for the score. The 2-point conversion is no-good for Hawai’i, so Wyoming’s lead sits at 35-9 with 16 minutes left in regulation. 
  • Momentum continued to swing in the favor of the ‘Bows when Wyoming K John Hoyland’s 46-yard field goal try went wide-right with 12 minutes to play, keeping the deficit at 26 for Hawai’i. 
  • UH’s offense can’t pick up a first down and is forced to punt the ball away after being stymied in their own territory. The defense returns it to Hawai’i less than two minutes later. 
  • A DoVonne Harris sack of Brayden Schager kills the ensuing Hawai’i possession and UH is unable to convert on 4th-and-6 from their own 27. 
  • UH’s defense, which had held Wyoming scoreless since halftime, finally breaks on 4th–and-1 and watches Cowboys’ QB2 Evan Svoboda get around the left edge for an 18-yard score to ice it for the Pokes. 

Hawai’i continued the rollercoaster ride that the 2023 season has been, showing both the good and bad that have led to head-scratching losses and hoarse-voiced wins for fans. Wyoming improved to a perfect 7-0 record at War Memorial Stadium this season and moved above .500 in conference play with the win. 

Cowboys’ QB Andrew Peasley finished the day 14-for-17 passing the pigskin for 319 yards and three TDs, becoming the first opposing QB to throw for over 300 yards against the Rainbow Warriors this season. Wyoming totaled 472 total yards of offense, scoring six TDs – five in the opening half of play – continuing the home dominance of 2023 for the Pokes. 

The win for Wyoming marks the first time since the Pokes and ‘Bows joined the Mountain West that one of the programs won consecutive games in the series against each other, keeping possession of the Paniolo Trophy for another season. The previous seven meetings between the teams had been alternating winners. 

UH quarterback Brayden Schager finished 25-for-44 passing for 278 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The junior moved into fifth all-time for Hawai’i quarterbacks in career passing yards after Saturday, leapfrogging Dan Robinson and Chevan Cordeiro to enter all-time ‘Bows QB company. His TD pass to Chuuky Hines in the 3rd quarter was his 40th career TD pass, tying him with Nick Rolovich for 7th-most all-time. 

Hawai’i’s Justin Sinclair enjoyed a nice game, forcing and recovering his first fumble while co-leading the team with five total tackles. Despite losing the turnover battle to Wyoming, the ‘Bows have forced seven turnovers while having just three giveaways over the past three weeks. 

With the loss, Hawai’i’s slight odds at being selected for a bowl game at year’s end closed. In a year of growing pains for the program, it’s another season before a return to postseason play for UH football.

Hawai’i returns home for Senior Night on Saturday, November 25 against Colorado State. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. HT.