After beginning the game 3-of-17 from the field, DSC connected on 20 of its next 36 and drilled eight 3-pointers in a 66-64 triumph over Chaminade on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 3,476 at Burns Arena.

DSC's Ryan Sanchez scored four of his 13 points in crunch time; a leaping leaner in traffic with 15 seconds remaining and a pair of free throws with three seconds to go to seal the victory in a game telecast by CBS College Sports.

"To pull out a big win against a really good team meant a lot to us and everyone involved with the college," said Sanchez, who also led the team with seven assists and five steals. "We really wanted to win this one bad."

It was a must-win considering Dixie State's goal of winning the Pacific West Conference. Chaminade played deep into the Division II Tournament a year ago and is already battle-tested, having played Division I foes four times. A year ago DSC traveled to Hawaii to begin the conference slate and promptly lost three right out of the gate.

The start of this one suggested a sequel to that ugly start may have been in the offing.

The Silverswords jumped on DSC with early 19-6 and 24-11 leads. The home team had no answer for swingman Joel Smith, who ended up with 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting - many of the attempts in traffic.

On the other hand, DSC had open looks it couldn't sink.

"I think (nerves) had a lot to do with it," said DSC's Tom Whitehead, who led the team with 18 points. "A lot of guys were kind of uptight. It was a bigger crowd than we're used to, having TV here and everything."

Instead of wilting under pressure, DSC shot its way out of the hole. Whitehead led the way.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore hit a 3-pointer following a Nick Howard (12 points in 15 minutes) bucket and free throw to make it 24-17 with 4:15 left in the first half. Whitehead made a pair from the charity stripe a little later, then made another from beyond the arc followed by a Sanchez trey to make it a 27-25 deficit at the half.

"My teammates did a great job of making that extra pass," Whitehead said. "A lot of times guys gave up a good shot for a better shot."

DSC kept the pressure up after the break.

Howard, who played despite suffering a slight concussion earlier in the week, made a pair of lay-ups in a 12-second span to tie the game. Adam Ross' 3-pointer gave DSC its first lead.

"Our guys kept their patience and composure and did a good job," said DSC coach Jon Judkins. "That run right before half was huge."

Ben Hartman capped a 30-11 run with a pair of free throws with 13:29 remaining to give DSC a 41-35 lead, but Chaminade didn't lay down. A jumper by Smith gave the Swords a 46-45 lead with nine minutes to go, but DSC reclaimed the advantage on a Whitehead trey 42 seconds later.

Kevin Lindquist corralled a steal with 50 seconds remaining and DSC - clinging to a 62-60 lead - milked the clock while trying to go ahead by two possessions. Sanchez, DSC's leading scorer, got a pass on the right side, dribbled left before ducking into the lane and nailing a difficult shot.

"A leapin' leaner wasn't my first choice. It was a kind of an off-the-seat-of-my pants kind of thing," Sanchez said. "I was trying to get to the hoop and I wasn't expecting that big guy (Zach Johnson) to hedge as much as he did. I was able to split the (defense)."

Sanchez put the Swords away with a pair of free throws in a one-and-one situation, an accomplishment not lost on the senior from West Haven. In the home opener against Western Washington on Dec. 15, Sanchez missed a free throw that would have won the game in regulation - instead DSC prevailed in double overtime.

"I guess that was a little bit of redemption, making the clutch free throw," Sanchez said. "That was a personal victory for me."

Said Whitehead: "Those free throws were as big as anything. Free throws down the stretch are tough and he knocked them down. I have confidence any time Ryan goes to the line."