Panthers cruise to 71-50 win over La Sierra in season-opener

ORANGE, Calif. – A strong defensive effort led the Chapman University men's basketball team to a 71-50 win over La Sierra University on Saturday night at the Hutton Sports Center. The Panthers limited the Golden Eagles to 30 percent shooting (15-for-50) on the night while knocking down 46.6 percent (27-for-58) of their own jumpers en route to the season-opening win.

Chapman (1-0) showed off its new additions on Saturday, with junior C John Joyce making a big splash. The transfer scored the first five points of the game en route to a double-double, finishing with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Joyce's hot start, paired with two early jumpers from junior G Colin Zavrsnick spurred the Panthers to an early 10-3 lead that they would never relinquish.

After falling behind early, La Sierra (1-3) struggled to get back into the game, shooting a mere 21.4 percent (6-for-28) from the field in the first half. The Golden Eagles were able to narrow the Panthers lead down to five points at 14-9, but struggled over the remainder of the half, entering halftime trailing 37-22.

Trailing 51-36 with just under 10 minutes left in the game, the Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run that included four points from G Daveon Woods as they pulled to within eight points of the Panthers. Chapman responded in a big way, putting the game on ice with a 12-2 run that was capped off by a Zavrsnick three-pointer, one of his two on the evening.

The Panthers were firing on all cylinders on Saturday as four different Panthers scored in double-digit figures while the defense forced 16 turnovers. Chapman also won the battle for boards, out-rebounding the Golden Eagles 41-33.

Chapman will open up their road schedule on Tuesday as they take on Vanguard University at 7:30 p.m.

Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20131116_gjuz.xml

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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