Victory marks record-setting 13-0 start for men's hoops

ORANGE, Calif. - In 93 years of Chapman basketball, no team has ever achieved what the 2014-15 team accomplished on Tuesday night. This season's Panthers set an all-time school record by winning their first 13 games, eclipsing the 1937-38 team which began the season 12-0.

The record-breaker was anything but a sure thing as No. 20 Chapman (13-0, 4-0 SCIAC) barely held on for a 58-56 win over visiting Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in a conference matchup at the Hutton Sports Center.

Sagehens' G Kyle McAndrews' step-back jumper in the final seconds rimmed out and the Panthers exhaled with their 18th straight regular season victory, dating back to last spring. That's one win shy of another all-time school record of 19 straight.

Chapman won despite making just two field goals over the final nine minutes of the game and shooting just 37.5 percent from the field in the second half. The Panthers took the lead on a 10-2 run late in the first half and held onto that advantage for most of the second period. Chapman gained its biggest lead at 53-43 with 9:49 to go on a bucket by freshman G James Taylor. Taylor finished with six points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 19 minutes off the bench.

But the 10-point lead vanished when Pomona-Pitzer (2-11, 0-4 SCIAC) responded with an 11-0 run which gave the Sagehens a 54-53 edge with 5:18 left in the game.

Back-to-back baskets by senior guards Taylor Hamasaki and Colin Zavrsnick tipped the score back in Chapman's favor three minutes later and it held on over the final seconds. Zavrsnick led the Panthers with 20 points, while Hamasaki finished with 13.

Pomona-Pitzer was led by McAndrews who scored a game-high 23 points for the Sagehens who lost their 10th straight game.

The first-place Panthers kept pace with Cal Lutheran as both teams remained unbeaten in SCIAC play. Chapman will hit the road for five of its next six contests beginning with a trip to Pasadena to face Caltech on Saturday at 7 p.m., looking to extend its undefeated mark.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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