By Jacob Norling
January 24, 2026
 
(HONOLULU) Westmont Men's Basketball (10-8, 7-5 PacWest) had entered tonight on a four-game winning streak, but this stretch of five games in 10 days ultimately ended with a 90-78 loss to the Chaminade Silverswords (10-6, 8-2). It turned into an offensive shootout but after keeping up in the first half, Westmont would eventually be a few shots shy of a perfect road trip as Chaminade pulled away in the second half.
 
"We've always joked over the years that when you play Chaminade in their home gym, it is a race to 80," shared Westmont coach Justin Leslie. "Whoever gets there first usually wins, and well, that they did."
 
The Warriors came out red-hot offensively, scoring 16 points over the first five-plus minutes of the contest. The Warriors during that time converted six of their first nine field goals, which included four makes from beyond the arc. However, the offensive heat wave appeared to be contagious, as Chaminade made seven of their first 11 shots, which included a trio of their own three's as well. So, before the second media timeout had occurred, both teams already approached the 20-point mark.
 
The early minutes would be a sign of things to come, as by time of intermission both clubs had already reached the mid-40's. Westmont would enter its final possession of the half down 44-43 when Aidan Mandel hoisted up a three-ball that took three bounces around the cylinder before deciding to fall through with just five seconds remaining in the period. Mandel's three-ball was Westmont's 10^th of the half in 16 attempts, and most importantly it sent the Warriors into halftime leading 46-44.
 
Both teams at the halfway mark were shooting over 50%, with Mandel leading all scorers at the break with 13 points. Elsewhere, Jarrett Bryant remained hot as well, entering the break a perfect three-of-three from three-point land, highlighting his 11-point first-half performance. Westmont had also picked up 11 assists on their first 18 field goals, with Braedon Bigott dishing out four assists across the first 20 minutes. Trey Thompson, who had eight first-half points on three-of-three shooting, also recorded a pair of early assists.
 
Regarding the first half and subsequent impact, Leslie said, "The unfortunate reality that I was telling the guys at halftime was that the most inconsistent thing in basketball is making shots. We were fortunate that we made 10 of 16 three's in the first half, but with that, we had our lowest number of attempts at the rim all season during the first half.
 
"So, a little bit of our performance was fool's gold. Since we didn't take a lot of shots at the rim during the first half, it also coincided with the fact that we had no free throws attempts. That was concerning to me going into the second half."
 
A Chaminade full-court press gave the Warriors fits over the five four-plus minutes of the second half, with a disorganized Westmont team conceding a 12-5 run leading into the period's first media timeout (56-51). Leading into the second media timeout the Swords were on a 10-2 run before an offensive foul for the Warriors added insult to injury. With an even 12 minutes to play, the Warriors were faced with a double-digit deficit for the first time at 63-53. A three from Bryant got Westmont back within six for a moment, but several other chances for the Warriors to cut into the deficit would not fall.
 
"Chaminade just came out with a ton of energy in the second half," reflected Leslie, "and ultimately, we did not do a good job at attacking their pressure. They put some defensive pressure on us and forced us to settle for three's."
 
At the time of the second penultimate media timeout with 7:37 remaining, the Warriors still trailed 72-62. A minute after that, however, a three-pointer from Mandel breathed a little life into the Westmont bench. Things got even tighter one possession later, when a bucket from Thompson made it 72-67. Westmont's brief 5-0 run, however, was met with an immediate five-point swing by Chaminade (77-67).
 
As the game entered its final four minutes the Silverswords drained back-to-back three-pointers for what felt like an early dagger. A definitive dagger landed moments later, when CUH's Nathan Medina landed the club's 12^th three-pointer of the night, giving the home team an 87-72 lead. Minutes later, Chaminade officially sealed a 90-78 win. Chaminade once again shot over 50% from the field in the second (15-28), while Westmont slowed down to the tune of a 33.3%-clip from the field (12-36). A four of 14 mark from three doomed the Warriors in comparison to Chaminade's eight of 15 performance in the second from deep range.
 
"We shot 33% percent from three," began Leslie, "in and of itself that doesn't seem tragic, but when they shoot over 50% from three, it becomes insurmountable. Our shooting was disappointing, but again, we only got to the free throw line six times. There was not nearly enough pressure on the rim or nearly enough opportunities to get layups. When we did get those opportunities, we failed to convert as many as we needed."
 
Individually, Mandel finished with 21 points while Bryant added in 20 of his own. Mandel also grabbed nine rebounds, while Bigott led the club with five assists.
 
The Warriors will fly home Sunday morning, before beginning a homestand in Murchison Gym on Thursday night in Santa Barbara.
 
Speaking on the trip that was, as well as the ensuing days, Leslie said, "Tonight was a missed opportunity, but I was proud of the way we played during this stretch, winning four in a row. Now, though, comes what I have always believed is the toughest game to play in all of PacWest play.
 
"That first game back off of this road trip is always going to be extremely difficult. This trip does take a lot out of you. We have a 5:00 a.m. wake-up tomorrow, and then we're not going to get home until late tomorrow night because of the long flights and the layover in San Francisco before we get back to Santa Barbara. After that, the guys have to get up early and go to class first-thing Monday morning.
 
"These guys just have to continue the grind, and accept that this is the most difficult game we'll have played come Thursday night. We're going to be playing a Hawaii Pacific team that is going to be hungry considering that we just beat them on their floor, handedly. We are going to get their best effort, there is no question about it. We have to be aware of and accept that challenge that is coming our way."