By Jacob Norling
November 30, 2023
 
(HONOLULU, Hi.) The first PacWest game in Westmont men's basketball (4-2, 1-0 PacWest) history turned out to be an instant classic on Thursday night in Honolulu. The contest against the Chaminade Silverswords (2-6, 0-2) was tied in the final 20 seconds, and came down to a shot by the home team as the buzzer sounded. In the end, however, it was the road Warriors who exuberantly flooded the court with a 79-78 win.
 
"I'm really proud of how we're growing as a team," said Westmont head coach Landon Boucher. "Character wise, our guys are growing up a lot, and displaying what it means to be a good teammate through-and-through. We had guys who played a few minutes and guys who played a ton of minutes, and the camaraderie was high for every single one of them.
 
"With camaraderie, you'll find that in close games, it matters."
 
In the first half the two sides set the tone for a dog fight. Each side threw up 33 field goal attempts during the period, with Westmont making 15 compared to Chaminade's 14. The one-shot difference separated the two by just three points at half, with the Warriors leading 37-34 at intermission. 
 
During the first half, neither could take a commanding lead, with each team's biggest lead being six points. The similarities were scattered across the box score, with both teams dishing out eight assists, and both committing six turnovers. One difference during the first 20 minutes was the fact that Westmont had drained five shots from three-point land, while Chaminade had made just two of 14 from beyond the arc.
 
Anthony McIntyre and Jalen Townsell each converted a pair of threes during the first half, with Zeke Viuhkola hitting a three-ball as well.
 
The first half ended with Chaminade on a fast break in transition, with Amir Davis swatting away a last-second attempt by the Silverswords to keep momentum with the Warriors.
 
In the second half, the two sides traded game-changing runs, with neither team being fazed by the momentum swings. 
 
Westmont trailed 69-66 with six minutes to play, before going on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes. The run began with a transition dunk by Townsell, and was highlighted by a pair of layups and a fade-away three by Jarrett Bryant. 
 
At that point, Westmont led 75-69 with under 3:30 remaining. Back and forth the two continued to go, however, as Chaminade went on a 7-0 run themselves to take a 76-75 advantage. Eventually, the two teams found themselves in a 77-77 tie in the final thirty seconds.
 
With 19 seconds remaining, and the shot clock quickly disappearing, Anthony McIntyre drove in through the right lane, and calmly rose up before banking in a floater off the glass to give Westmont the 79-77 advantage. Then, with eight seconds remaining, Westmont sent a Chaminade shooter to the free throw line with a chance to possibly knot things up.
 
Chaminade's Scott Ator converted the first shot from the line, but his second was way off the mark, and took an errant ricochet wide of the left lane. From that point on, a blur of a final eight seconds flashed before both team's eyes.
 
Chaminade got the offensive rebound, and quickly threw up another floater that would not fall. Again, however, the Silverswords grabbed the loose ball and had one final chance to win it as the game clock expired. Instead of sending the local fans home happy, however, it was the team 2,500 miles from home storming the court with a 79-78 win as the last shot fell short.
 
"We had a six point lead, and then gave up a 7-0 run late," began Boucher, "but that camaraderie kept us together. That loving mentally showed up, and our guys just did not waver. Chaminade is a really good team, and a well-coached team as well. To come out here and start our Hawaii with a win like this is a huge stepping stone for us.
 
"It is representative of not only who we are becoming as individuals, but also as teammates and brothers."
 
In the end the similarities continued in the box score, with both teams converting 30 field goals. However, Westmont ultimately knocked down 12 of 26 from three-point range, while Chaminade made only six of their 21 attempts. Individually, Bryant led Westmont with 22 points, with Amir Davis and Jalen Townsell contributing 18 and 17, respectively. Davis also pulled down seven rebounds, and was one of four Warriors with three assists.
 
"Our senior leadership was phenomenal," said Boucher. "Drew, Amir, and Mack, in particular, carried themselves like you need your seniors to. Then, Jarrett, he just played like a man out there on both ends. It seemed like every time we needed a shift in momentum, he was at the center of things keeping us in it.
 
"Up and down the whole box score, we needed every point we got tonight, and it was an all-around effort to get it done."
 
The men will take the court next on Saturday afternoon, when they take on the Hawaii Pacific Sharks. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. HST/5:00 p.m. PST, and links to live coverage are available on the Westmont Athletics website.