HONOLULU, HI – Jessup men's basketball (13-12, 10-9 PacWest) dropped a conference matchup in Honolulu against the Chaminade University Silverswords (11-12, 9-8 PacWest), 91-82.
A tale of two halves played out inside McCabe Gymnasium on Saturday as the Jessup University men's basketball team saw a commanding halftime lead slip away. The Warriors came out of the gates firing, looking comfortable in the island atmosphere. Jessup controlled the tempo early, building a double-digit advantage thanks to efficient shooting and stifling defense. An Andre Norris fast break and layup placed Jessup ahead nine, 11-2. Less than a minute later, Wyatt Studer sank a three to extend the advantage to double-digits, 14-4.
The offense continued to click in the first half, shooting nearly 47 percent from the field. Jessup was perfect at the free throw line in the first half going 11-11. After consistent success at the charity stripe, the halftime buzzer sounded and the Warriors had built an impressive 45-28 lead. Jessup held the home side to just 28 points in the first twenty minutes.
However, the script flipped entirely coming out of the locker room. The home team found their rhythm, exploding for 63 points in the second half to erase Jessup's advantage. While the Warriors managed 37 points of their own in the final frame, they couldn't stem the tide of the opposing offense, which shot a blistering 88% percentage at the free throw line as they went 24-27 to overtake the lead and seal the victory, 91-82. Though the Warriors outpaced the Silverwords in nearly facet from second chance points (17-6), rebounds, (47-30) and bench points (33-18), Chaminade claimed more opportunities. The home team's advantage in points off turnovers (28-4) proved to be a determining factor in the second half comeback.
Andre Norris led the offensive charge for the Warriors, finishing with a team-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Wyatt Studer provided a massive spark off the bench, tallying 16 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night from beyond the arc. Varick Lewis added 11 points, while Tom Parsons chipped in 10. On the glass, Amarlie Wilkinson paced the squad with a team-high eight rebounds while adding seven points.
Head Coach Mark Darnall spoke about the night, "It was a tale of two halves. We came out, defended well and got really good opportunities in the first half but in the second half they really ramped up the pressure and we succumbed to it." Darnall recognized the Silverwords efforts and looked forward to the final matchup in Hawaii, "Credit to Chaminade for their success in the second half. We have a quick turnaround as we play a very good Hawaii Pacific team. Tuesday will be another big game as we try to position ourselves well for a shot at the PacWest tournament."
The Warriors will look to bounce back and conclude their Hawaii road trip on Tuesday, February 17th when they take on Hawai'i Pacific University. Tip-off will be at 1:30 PM.
***
Jessup University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Instagram & X).
