Nov 26, 2003
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) - Wesley Stokes scored 19 points to lead San Diego State to a 75-67 victory over Chaminade on Wednesday in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational.
The Aztecs (3-1), who lost to Dayton in the semifinals, took a 65-48 lead with an 11-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Chris Walton with 4:57 to play.
Chaminade (1-2), the Division II host school which beat Villanova in the opening round to end a 30-game losing streak in the tournament, was able to get to 72-67 with 27 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Chris Acker. But Stokes went 3-for-4 from the free throw line the rest of the way to end any thoughts of a second upset by the Silverswords.
Aerick Sanders had 14 points and 16 rebounds for San Diego State, which finished with a 43-29 advantage on the boards, including 19-7 on the offensive end. Sanders, 7-for-14 from the field, had nine offensive rebounds. Walton, the son of Hall of Famer Bill Walton, had 12 points.
Bryon Sykes had 14 points and Acker added 13 for Chaminade, which committed 24 turnovers against the taller and faster Aztecs.
Chaminade entered this tournament with a 3-52 record. Its last win had been in 1992, in double overtime against Stanford in the seventh-place game. The Silverswords lost to Hawaii 68-54 Tuesday in their first semifinal appearance since 1991.
Chaminade closed the first half with a 9-0 run to get within 32-31. The Silverswords took the lead with the first basket of the second half, but the Aztecs then went on a 9-0 run in which Sanders had six points. San Diego State used its size and speed advantage to go up by as many as 17 points.