Chaminade stuns Villanova, 52-49

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

It wasn't Virginia, but for a Chaminade basketball team that hasn't pulled off one of its famous upsets in more than a decade, Villanova will do.

Chaminade's Sam Henning, top, chases a loose ball past Villanova's Allan Ray in the second half. Henning had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Ray led the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points. Associated Press

"I don't know how it feels," said Chaminade head coach Aaron Griess. "I'm new at this."

Kashif Reyes scored eight of his 10 points in the final 2:28 of the game, including two crucial 3-pointers. His first 3 cut Villanova's lead to 46-44; his second 3 put Chaminade ahead for good, 47-46, with 1:43 remaining.

The Silverswords converted 6 of 6 free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Villanova's Randy Foye had a chance to tie the game, but his 3-point attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

The victory snapped a 30-game losing streak in the Maui Invitational for the host Silverswords (1-0). Chaminade's monumental upset of No. 1 Virginia in 1982 helped create the Maui Invitational.

"This was a great game for the program," forward Sam Henning said. "People kept reminding us about how many years it's been. For our program it's just great."

Reyes, a native of Reading, Pa., came up big against the school from his home state. He hit a 3-pointer with 2:29 left that brought Chaminade (1-0) within 46-44 and he nailed another one from beyond the arc with 1:44 to play that gave the Silverswords the lead for good at 47-46.

Henning and Reyes each sandwiched two free throws around one by Villanova's Will Sheridan to make it 51-47 with 13 seconds left.

Villanova (2-1), which played just seven players as the team continues to serve out suspensions from last season over the misuse of a university telephone access code, had one last chance to tie.

Roy Stigall made the first of two free throws for Chaminade with 5.7 seconds left to make it 52-49 and Randy Foye's 3-point attempt bounced off the rim just before the buzzer and the Silverswords charged the court to celebrate.

Villanova coach Jay Wright had reminded the team about Chaminade's success two decades ago.

"It was a big game for them but it shouldn't have affected us," he said. "They just played better. We had opportunities but we didn’t make them. Give Chaminade a lot of credit. They played better than us."

Greiss said the suspensions didn't take away from the win.

"They may have been short in the lineup but they still had some McDonald's All-Americans," he said. "We have some good players, too."

The University of Hawai‘i plays Santa Clara at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow. It is the Warriors' first appearance in the Maui Invitational.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.