Offensive struggles continue as Chapman men lose to La Verne

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's basketball team had a golden opportunity slip away on Saturday night as the Panthers fell to visiting University of La Verne 58-47 at Hutton Center, dropping out of a three-way tie for third place and into fourth with just five games remaining.

Chapman (11-9 overall, 6-5 SCIAC) was looking to put some distance between it and the bottom teams in the conference, however with a Pomona-Pitzer win and Whittier loss on Saturday night, Whittier and Chapman are now tied for fourth with a head-to-head showdown coming up next Saturday night on the Panthers' home floor. The top four teams qualify for the SCIAC Tournament.

The Panthers' next three games all come against teams ahead of or tied with them in the conference standings.

La Verne (7-13 overall, 5-6 SCIAC) on the other hand, kept its hopes alive of vying for the conference tournament, completing the series sweep over Chapman.

Nights after the Chapman offense struggled in a home loss to Claremont, the Panthers came out firing blanks once again in the first half, shooting just 30 percent from the floor and limited to 16 first-half points. Meanwhile, the Leopards steadily built up a double-digit advantage to lead 27-16 at halftime; a lead they would not relinquish.

Chapman was better in the second half, cutting the lead to a few as seven points at the 9:51 mark on a three-pointer by sophomore G Colin Zavrsnick, but couldn't get any closer. The Panthers were just 1 of 8 from three-point range in the second half and 2 of 14 in the game. Zavrsnick finished with a team-high 16 points. Sophomore G Taylor Hamasaki added 13 points and nine rebounds for Chapman.

The Panthers' 47 points marks the second consecutive game being held below 50, which Chapman hadn't had happen all season prior to the last two games.

Jake Vieth led La Verne with 22 points and three assists.

Chapman hosts Pomona-Pitzer (Wed., 7:30 p.m.) and Whittier (Sat., 7 p.m.) this week at the Hutton Center, the outcomes of which could decide the Panthers' postseason fate.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/boxscores/20130202_enva.xml

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
#CUPanthers