Men's hoops equals '09 start with eighth straight win

ORANGE, Calif. - The Chapman University men's basketball team ran its season-opening winning streak to eight games with a 72-50 win over visiting Oberlin College (Ohio) on Monday afternoon at the Hutton Sports Center.

The Panthers equaled their 8-0 start from the 2009-10 season and stretched their regular season win streak to 13, dating back to last February.

Despite a sluggish start - Chapman was just 2-for-11 from field goal range over the first 11 and a half minutes - the Panthers finished the first half on a 34-8 run to take a double-digit lead into halftime and cruised to a 22-point victory. The Panthers led by as many as 30 points midway through the second half.

Four Chapman starters reached double figures in scoring for the Panthers, led by senior G Taylor Hamasaki's game-high 16 points. The senior added six assists, five steals and five rebounds.

Senior G Colin Zavrsnick and senior PG Garrett James scored 14 and 13 points apiece, and combined for four three-pointers. Senior C John Joyce added 10 points and four boards for Chapman.

The Panthers will try to make it nine in a row on Tuesday as they host St. Joseph's (N.Y.) at 4:30 p.m. at the Hutton Center. St. Joseph's is coming off a 68-52 win over the University of La Verne on Monday at Chapman.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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