On a night when the legacy of the late Merv Lopes — Chaminade’s “giant-slaying” leader — was acknowledged, the Silverswords were poised to upset intraisland rival Hawaii at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

The Silverswords used a variety of pressure defenses to transform a nine-point, first-half deficit into a 68-61 lead with 8:29 to go in Sunday’s exhibition.

“They’re going crazy, and I’m taking it all in,” UH head coach Eran Ganot recalled. “We do situations every day in practice. … Let’s see what our team is made of. This is great. And I hope this is a point we can look back on. You can do that with veteran teams.”

Quandre “Dre” Bullock, a transfer from South Dakota, used his 46-inch vertical jump to soar for a dunk. Utah transfer Hunter Erickson sneaked free to secure a long pas

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