Men's, women's NCAA Tournament life short-lived

ORANGE, Calif. – A pair of losses for the Chapman University men's and women's basketball teams ended their seasons in the first rounds of their respective NCAA Division III Tournaments on Friday night. The Panther men fell 85-70 to host and No. 16-ranked University of Texas-Dallas in the central time zone preceding a 106-51 loss by the women to host and No. 7-ranked Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. in the nation's last game of the night.

Men: UT-Dallas 85, Chapman 70

A quick start by the Panthers – back-to-back three-pointers by junior guards Colin Zavrsnick and Garrett James – helped Chapman (18-10) jump out to an 8-2 and 11-8 lead in the first half, but that would be the last time it held the advantage. The Comets methodically built up a double-digit lead by halftime and UT-Dallas led by as many as 21 late in the second half to cruise to the first-round victory, eliminating Chapman from its third NCAA Tournament in five years.

All five Chapman starters scored in double figures, led by Zavrsnick's 26 points, including three three-pointers. Junior G Taylor Hamasaki added 12 points as both players eclipsed the 500-point single-season scoring plateau – the first duo in school history to do so.

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20140307_hu05.xml

Women: Whitman 106, Chapman 55

Despite falling behind early, Chapman (21-7) fought back and kept it close trailing just 19-14 at the 9:31 mark in the first half. That's when the Missionaries went on a 24-2 run against the Panthers over the next seven-plus minutes, holding Chapman to just a single field goal by sophomore C Sandra Gao. That gave Whitman a 43-16 lead and it took a 51-20 advantage into the intermission. The Panthers were held to just 1-for-9 shooting from the field during that Whitman run, which virtually buried the underdogs. The second half was more of the same as Chapman never recovered and was bounced from the tournament.

Gao finished with a team-high 17 points and three rebounds. Junior PG Andrea Villanueva added 13 points for Chapman which was limited to just 32.1 percent shooting from the field and was outrebounded by double, 46-23 in the game.

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20140307_p0y9.xml

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChapmanSports
#CUPanthers