Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Photo by Larry Newman
Photo by Larry Newman
Posted: Mar 02, 2016

Panthers set to face Missionaries in NCAA First Round

ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman and Whitman will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. in Walla Walla, Wash. for the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. The winner will move on the Saturday's second round game at Whitworth.

THE MATCHUP

  • Chapman and Whitman are meeting for the third time in program history and the second year in a row. Whitman holds the 2-1 series advantage but the Panthers won last year's meeting 72-67 on a neutral court. 
  • Chapman played Northwest Conference opponent Willamette twice this year and won both matchups. Whitman won both times it met Willamette as well – the second time by over 50 points.
  • Whitman met four SCIAC opponents this year and went 4-0, winning by an average score of 102-71. The Missionaries scored in triple digits three times but needed overtime to beat Cal Lutheran 74-68. Chapman went a combined 7-2 against the common opponents.

EXPERIENCE

  • Chapman is making its fourth trip to the big dance – all within the last seven years. This is the third time that Chapman will be in a stand-alone first round game with Whitworth waiting in the second round. Chapman is 2-0 in those previous games although both happened at home.
  • The Panthers are 2-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
  • This is Whitman's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Missionaries earned an at-large bid into the tournament.

HIGHLY OFFENSIVE

  • Chapman and Whitman have both put up strong numbers on the offensive end. Whitman led the NWC and ranked 10th in the nation with 91.3 points per game this. Chapman averaged 76.4 ppg and ranked second in the SCIAC
  • Both teams shoot the ball well with Whitman shooting 47.9 percent this year and the Panthers shooting 48 percent.
  • Both teams feature their respective conferences' leading scorer. Freshman Cam Haslam averages 19.4 ppg for Chapman while Whitman's sophomore Tim Howell scores 19.3 ppg.
  • Chapman has four players who average double digits in junior Luke Hamlin, sophomore James Taylor and sophomore Rob Nelsen.

TURNOVER BATTLE

  • Whitman is one of the top teams in the nation at forcing turnovers, forcing over 19 per game.
  • The Missionaries also rank fifth in the nation with 11.4 steals per game.
  • On the other end, Chapman turns the ball over 11 times per game on average and has average just eight per game over its final three games.

A LITTLE MOMENTUM

  • Chapman comes into the first round matchup with a little bit more momentum after winning both the SCIAC regular season and tournament titles.
  • Whitman had a fantastic season, finishing 22-4 overall and 14-2 in the NWC. However, the second-seeded Missionaries were upset at home in the semifinals of the NWC's postseason tournament by Pacific Lutheran.
  • Whitman's loss ended an eight-game win streak and was just its second home loss of the season.
  • Chapman won six of its last seven games heading into the NCAA Championship.

BEYOND THE ARC

  • Chapman ended the regular season as the best three-point shooting team in Division III. The Panthers shoot 41.8 percent beyond the arc as a team.
  • The Missionaries aren't far behind at 37.8 percent shooting from three-point range, which ranks in the top-50 in the nation.

by Steven Olveda
 Sports Information Director

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChapmanSports
#Chaptown