LAHAINA, Hawaii “”mdash; Any ideas about the ill effects of a
6-hour plane ride or the distractions of Maui’s white-sand
beaches were quickly wiped away before Monday night’s game
against Chaminade.
Monday afternoon, coach Ben Howland held a comprehensive pregame
walk-through in the team’s hotel ballroom before the game and
made sure the team wouldn’t be overlooking the Division II
Silverswords.
The meticulous preparation obviously paid off as the Bruins
opened a quick 17-2 lead over Chaminade and blew out the
Silverswords 88-63 in Maui’s Lahaina Civic Center on Monday
night.
“I thought we played well against a very feisty
team,” Howland said. “We shot the ball very well, and
we caused 22 turnovers. It was a good effort on our
side.”
Chaminade, the defending Pacific West Conference champions and
owner of one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history against an
undefeated Virginia team in 1982, never really had a chance to
wreak havoc against the Bruins in the opening round of the Maui
Invitational.
The Bruins led 17-2 and junior guard Arron Afflalo scored 11 of
the Bruins’ first 15 points, all within the game’s
first five minutes.
“It was good to get that first game out of the way,”
Afflalo said. “We came out here knowing we had to play well
three times in three days.”
Overall, the Bruins shot a sizzling 56 percent from the field as
it was clear that the Bruins are ready to play some of the more
highly touted teams, including Kentucky, in the invitational.
The Bruins will face the No. 22 Wildcats tonight in the Maui
Invitational semifinals, as Kentucky defeated DePaul 87-81 in the
night’s first game.
“We’re excited,” Afflalo said. “Kentucky
and UCLA have a lot of tradition. We are two of the winningest
programs in college basketball history. It’s more than just a
normal basketball game.”
If they are to defeat the Wildcats, however, they will need the
same kind of balanced scoring they received on Monday night.
Against the Swords, the Bruins had five players with eight points
or more, led by Afflalo’s 25 points.
Many of those points came in the form of a 3-pointer, as the
Bruins finished 10-for-22 from beyond the arc.
“We got some good minutes from a lot of different
players,” Howland said. “None of our starters played
over 30 minutes.”
An added benefit for the Bruins was the extra playing time for
freshman forward James Keefe and freshman guard Russell Westbrook.
Both played double-digit minutes, and Westbrook had some key
moments against Chaminade’s best player, Zack Whiting.
“It’s a great bonus for us to get those guys some
extra minutes,” Howland said. “Especially considering
we have to get ready to play again in less than 20
hours.”
In that time, two basketball powerhouses will meet in what is
sure to be a memorable basketball game very early in the season for
the Bruins.
CHAMINADE: The Silverswords, the host of the
Maui Invitational for the last 23 years, added a California flavor
to Monday night’s game.
Seven of Chaminade’s 11 players were from the state of
California and its standout player, Whiting, is from Chico.
“There is a reason why he is on the Wooden Award watch
list,” Howland said of Whiting. “He is a great shooter,
a heady player and plays hard every minute.”
Although Chaminade was down 15 points in the game’s first
five minutes, the Silverswords played even with the Bruins in the
second half and cut the lead from 30 to 18 at one point, garnering
heavy cheers from the local fans that made it to the
tournament.
DRIBBLERS: The Bruins’ coaches donned
special black polo shirts for the festive nature of the Maui
tournament. … Freshman walk-on Mustafa Abdul- Hamid and redshirt
sophomore DeAndre Robinson came into the game with a little under
three minutes to go. … Point guard Darren Collison, who had 15
points and 7 assists, set a career-high with 5 steals. …
Sophomore Luc Richard Mbah a Moute also tied a career-high with 4
steals. … Afflalo’s 25-point game was the Bruins’
highest individual-scoring output since his 25-point performance on
the road at Cal last season.