Change of scenery doesn't help as CU falls to No. 11 Whitworth
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's basketball team fell short of its upset bid against No. 11-ranked Whitworth University on Tuesday night as the Pirates rallied back from a second-half deficit to defeat the Panthers 67-62 at the Hutton Sports Center.
The win was Whitworth's fifth in a row against Chapman in a rivalry that dates back six seasons, including two NCAA playoff meetings. The two teams had previously met twice in Spokane and three times on neutral courts, but this was first-ever contest between the two in Orange.
Junior G Colton McCargar snapped a 62-62 tie by nailing a three-pointer from the corner off an inbound pass with 1:10 remaining in the game and Whitworth (7-1) held on from there. McCarger displayed a flare for the dramatic earlier as well as his buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first half made it a one-point Chapman lead 35-34 going into the intermission.
McCargar's go-ahead shot gave Whitworth the lead for good in a game that featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties. The junior was one of three Pirates in double figures with 12 points and equaled a team-high with six rebounds.
Chapman (4-4) led for the better part of the first half as well as the first 10 minutes of the second thanks to over 60 percent shooting for much of the game. The Panthers were 14 of 23 in the first half (60.9 percent) and finished the night making 56.1 percent of their field goal attempts. Leading the way was sophomore G Colin Zavrsnick who was 7 of 10 for a career-high and team-best 22 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
The largest lead of the night for either team came with 2:18 left in the first period as Chapman built a 34-27 cushion on a bucket by Zavrsnick. The Panthers still led by six with 57 seconds remaining, but Whitworth got a basket and then McCargar's three to eliminate any of Chapman's momentum going into the break.
In the second half, Chapman led by as many as five on three different occasions, but could not put significant distance between themselves and the Pirates. After the Panthers took a 52-47 lead with 11:25 to play, Whitworth went on a 9-0 run – its biggest of the night – to earn a four-point advantage; it's largest to that point.
The Panthers rallied back to tied it at 62 on two of sophomore G Taylor Hamasaki's 19 points in the game, but that was the last of the scoring for Chapman.
Sophomore F Taylor Farnsworth led Whitworth with 14 points and six rebounds, while senior G Wade Gebbers added 13 points. The win was the Pirates' seventh straight after losing their season opener in November to St. Thomas (Minn.).
Chapman has now lost two of its past three games on its home floor. The Panthers will return to the court on Wednesday night to host Willamette University (Ore.) at 6:30 p.m.
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/boxscores/20121218_8lwu.xml
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