Selway's double-double, Smith's 19 close out 2017 on winning note

ORANGE, Calif. – A double-double from senior Luke Selway and 19 points from freshman Reed Smith led the Chapman University men's basketball team to an 80-73 victory over visiting Lewis & Clark on Thursday. The win improved Chapman to 8-2 this season as it closes out its 2017 and its non-conference slate.

In their first game since Dec. 19, the Panthers fell into an early hole. They trailed by as many as eight points early in the first half but went on an 8-0 over a three and a half minute span to knot the game at 22-22. Three-pointers from junior Josh Mendoza and junior Daniel McCown bookended the game-tying run.

The two teams went back and forth over the next five minutes with Chapman tying the game but Lewis & Clark (4-7) always regaining the lead. Selway finally tipped the seesaw in Chapman's favor when his bucket with 5:36 to go in the first half gave Chapman its first lead at 33-31.

Junior Reed Nakakihara broke up another tie with a three-pointer on the next trip down the floor and the Panthers never trailed again. The Pioneers pulled back within one but Selway completed a three-point play to make it 39-35 with just over four minutes to go.

The Panthers took a 45-40 lead into the locker room and pushed the lead all the way to 12 points early in the second half. Selway dominated on the glass in the second half with nine of his 13 rebounds coming after halftime. He ended up with 13 points, four assists, four steals and three blocks.

The Pios fought back to make it a one possession game at the midway point of the second half but was never able to tip the scale down the stretch as Chapman always had a response. When Andrew Vickers' dunk made it 59-58 with 8:55 to go, Smith responded with a bucket in the post and McCown knocked down another three-pointer to push the lead back to six.

With 2:29 to go, L&C cut it to two again when Kyle Owens three-pointer made it 75-73. Smith responded again for Chapman. One minute later, Selway swiped a pass and took off down the floor for an easy breakaway layup to put Chapman 78-73 and help secure the win for the Panthers.

Selway knock down six of his seven shot attempts to put in his 13 points while Smith hit 9 of 13 for his game-high of 19 points. Vickers led Lewis & Clark with 18 points. McCown hit three triples to fuel an 11-point effort off the bench.

The Panthers closed out the 2017 portion of their schedule but head up to Cal Lutheran on New Year's Day to jump back into SCIAC play. They return home on Jan. 3 to face Redlands at 7 p.m.

By Steven Olveda 
Sports Information Director

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