Hamasaki, Zavrsnick lead Chapman over Whittier

ORANGE, Calif. – Just one game after the Chapman University men's basketball team set season-highs in shooting and points, the Panthers were even better on Monday. Chapman returned to SCIAC play with a win over visiting Whittier College 91-77 at Hutton Center, doing it with red-hot accuracy shooting 63.6 percent from the field.

Chapman (5-3 overall, 2-1 SCIAC) broke open a tie game at the 12:20 mark in the first half with a 30-8 scoring run that lasted just under 10 minutes and gave the Panthers a 50-28 lead late in the half.

Whittier (3-4 overall, 0-2 SCIAC) was limited to just two field goals during that stretch, while Chapman junior G Taylor Hamasaki couldn't miss. In a five and a half minute span, Hamasaki was 5-for-5 with three three-pointers, helping the Panthers to 69.7 percent shooting in the period including 80 percent (8 of 10) from three-point range. The junior scored 15 of his team-high 23 points in the first half and added three assists and two blocked shots in the game.

Junior G Colin Zavrsnick and the rest of the Panthers joined in the fun to score 57 first-half points and led by 22 at halftime 57-33. Zavrsnick poured in 21 points, including four three-pointers, and had three assists, four steals and six rebounds. Setting the table for the Chapman scorers was junior PG Garrett James who earned a season-high eight assists.

The presence of Chapman's front court was also felt in the paint as senior F Nick Dragovich and junior C John Joyce pitched in 12 and 11 points, respectively and combined on 10 of 15 shooting.

The Panthers maintained their double-digit lead throughout the second half, leading by as many as 28 at the 13:12 mark of the half and on their way to a season-high 91 points. However, the Poets rallied late to cut the final deficit to 14 points. Whittier F Chris Barnes-Williams scored 17 points in the second half to lead all scorers with 25 in the game, including four three-pointers. Despite the loss, Whittier shot 53.8 percent from the floor.

Chapman will host UC Santa Cruz, Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.) and Occidental College in a round-robin tournament beginning on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Hutton Center, the start of four straight (and final) non-conference contests for the Panthers.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131216_hj66.xml

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