AZUSA, Calif. >> Despite missing its best player, Chaminade reached the semifinals of the Pacific West Conference men’s basketball tournament Thursday.
The third-seeded Silverswords will face second-seeded Point Loma today after routing San Francisco’s Academy of Art 90-64 in the quarterfinals at Azusa Pacific’s Felix Events Center.
Chaminade (18-10) earned its third successive victory without swingman Tyler Cartaino, the conference’s leading scorer and a member of the All-PacWest first team. Cartaino, who averaged 20.8 points, broke his right hand while attempting a dunk Feb. 15 during a 72-70 loss to Concordia.
“Tyler is the best player in this league and one of the best in the country,” guard Andre Arissol said. “All of us believe that. It hurts a lot that he’s out. He gave us a lot on the offensive end and on the defensive end.”
Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird elaborated on Cartaino’s offensive prowess.
“Most people can’t guard him one-on-one,” Bovaird said. “We could always count on if Tyler gets the ball, something’s going to happen right now. Tyler was a huge loss for our team.”
But the Silverswords relied on their defensive pressure and dominant shooting to overwhelm the sixth-seeded Urban Knights (12-18). Chaminade forced 17 turnovers, 12 from steals, and used them to score 24 points.
Kendall Small, the PacWest’s Defensive Player of the Year, held Stefan Milivojevic, the conference’s leading 3-point shooter, to just one basket beyond the arc. Milivojevic entered the game ranked 12th nationally with a .461 shooting percentage from 3-point range.
Offensively, Chaminade made 15 of 29 shots behind the 3-point line in shooting 49.2 percent for the game. The Silverswords were especially potent in the first half, when they made eight of 13 3-point shots and 14 of 28 field-goal attempts overall.
Arissol, a senior from Great Britain, made seven of 11 3-pointers and led all scorers with 24 points. Isaac Amaral-Artharee, the PacWest Freshman of the Year, added 16 points. Bill Awet and Eliet Donley scored 15 points apiece, and Small finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Josh Hill scored 23 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for the Academy of Art. Victor Ruiz de Carranza, a transfer from Hawaii Hilo, contributed five points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
