LAHAINA — Respect is a powerful thing to play for and despite the lopsided loss to DePaul yesterday Chaminade was lauded as a team that does not wilt when facing tough teams.

Playing less than 16 hours after a crushing 88-63 defeat against fifth-ranked UCLA, the Silverswords came out firing in the first half and closed to a point of DePaul with 15:39 to play before talent and athletic ability took over.

Wilson Chandler scored 23 points and Sammy Mejia 19 to lead the Blue Demons, who ran away as the second half wound down for a 93-74 victory in the consolation bracket of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

"That game was a lot of fun for 30 minutes, then it wasn't as fun," said Chaminade coach Matt Mahar. "Our guys, we don't quit. It's real exciting when we get the feeling of what it could be like (if we beat a Division I team)."

DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright, who earned his 200th career victory with yesterday's win, heaped praise on the Chaminade program and singled out senior guard Zack Whiting as a player he wished he had.

"Chaminade has great tradition and I told our players they play with great intensity and we had to match that," Wainwright said. "I'd love to have a couple of their guys. I'm sure these two guys (Draelon Burns and Wilson Chandler) would love to catch passes from Zack Whiting. They're a really good team. It's hard to play them here."

The Silverswords (0-2) will play Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. today in the seventh-place game. The Blue Demons (2-3) will play Purdue (3-1) in the fifth-place game at 9 a.m.

Yesterday, the Blue Demons went on a 7-0 run until the 12:57 mark in the first half.

The Silverswords responded with an 8-0 run to pull within 19-17 when Mike Green scored five consecutive points on a 3-pointer and a putback at the 11:11 mark.

The Chaminade run sparked the Blue Demons, who responded by sprinting to the half ahead 46-34.

The Silverswords continued to push the ball and pressure the Blue Demons in the second half behind Whiting, who recorded his second straight double-double with 13 points and 13 assists.

The small contingent of Chaminade fans, many of whom were sporting makeshift No. 25 Zack Whiting jerseys, became boisterous when Chaminade hit three 3-pointers in a 13-4 run to open the second half in closing to 50-47.

The Silverswords hit their first six shots of the second half and got within 52-51 at the 15:39 mark on a layup by Stewart Kussler, who finished with 21 points.

"When we go on runs and hit a big shot, the fans really get behind us," said Whiting, whose family flew in from Chico, Calif. for the tournament.

DePaul responded with a 14-0 run as Chaminade failed to score on nine straight possessions, missing five shots and committing four turnovers.

Mejia hit two 3-pointers during the run and capped it with a three-point play that made it 66-51 with 10:27 left.

The Blue Demons built the lead to as many as 22, the last time at 85-63 with 4:05 to go.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.