No. 22 Chapman stays hot against Poets

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's basketball team ran its winning streak to eight in a row with a 78-65 win over visiting Whittier College on Tuesday night at the Hutton Sports Center. It was the Panthers' final game before taking a brief holiday break and then gearing up for their clash with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Dec. 29 in a rematch of last year's NCAA playoff victory.

Chapman (10-1) used a 16-3 run midway through the first half to secure a double-digit lead it would not give up. A three-pointer by junior PG Brandon Lin gave the Panthers a 20-9 lead with 11:30 left in the half. Chapman would close out the half with a 37-24 advantage, including four three-pointers.

The second half was more of the same from Chapman, which improved to 4-0 at home this season. The Panthers pushed their lead 22 points on a three-point shot by senior G Griffin Ramme with 4:25 to go in the game. Ramme's triple put Chapman up 74-52 and the game out of reach. The senior finished with 19 points, including a trio of three-pointers, and added three steals.

The Panthers were led by senior F Justin Riley who posted a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Lin added 11 points, including a pair of threes.

Three players scored in double figures for Whittier (4-5), which lost for the fourth time in its past five contests. Greg Preer led the Poets with 16 points, along with Nathan Easterman (14 points) and Brandon Thomas (11 points).

Chapman, ranked No. 22 in the nation by D3Hoops.com, improved to 9-0 against Division III opponents this season. The Panthers will take on Claremont on the road next week for the first time since their 58-47 victory over the Stags in the first round of the NCAA tournament last March. Claremont is 2-5 so far in 2010-11.

Chapman returns home on New Year's Eve to host George Fox University (Ore.) at 5 p.m.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/files/wc-cu.htm