Guards lead the way in Panthers' 87-63 rout of Menlo

ORANGE, Calif. – All three starting guards scored in double-digits for the Chapman University men's basketball team as they topped the Menlo College Oaks, 87-63 on Friday night at the Hutton Sports Center. The victory improved the Panthers' record to 2-1 and marks their second win of 20 points or more.

The night belonged to the Panthers' backcourt as junior guards Garrett James, Taylor Hamasaki and Colin Zavrsnick combined for 55 of Chapman's 87 points. James and Zavrsnick did their damage from beyond the arch, each hitting three of their five attempts as they led the Panthers to 53.3 percent shooting (8-for-15) from three-point range.

The two teams traded buckets for most of the first half, but Chapman (2-1) staged a 17-7 run over the final six minutes to take a 40-28 lead into halftime. Hamasaki led the way for the Panthers in the first half scoring 12 of his 18 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 showing from the line.

Trailing by 12 points to start the third quarter, Menlo (1-4) did little to alter the momentum as Chapman scored seven straight points to jump out to a 47-28 lead. James, who recorded his first double-digit scoring effort of the season, nailed two three-pointers in the first three minutes en route to 11 second half points that gave Chapman a comfortable lead for the remainder of the contest.

Menlo F Keith Bowman fought hard in the second half to score 10 of his team-high 20 points, but the Oaks were not able to shrink the deficit any lower than 16 points. Zavrsnick, who finished with a game-high 21 points, drilled two three-pointers late in the contest to squash any hopes of a Menlo comeback.

The Panthers will be back on the court at Hutton Sports Center on Tuesday as they play host to the Arizona Christian Firestorm. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131122_4cj7.xml

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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