Smith headlines men's basketball victory with poster slam

ORANGE, Calif — A massive 17-1 run to end the first half capped off by a monstrous poster dunk from Anthony Smith propelled men's basketball to a much needed win over La Verne on Saturday, 70-55.

Chapman led 22-20 with nine minutes remaining in the first, struggling to sustain any sort of game altering run. Three blocked shots combined with four forced turnovers on the defensive end allowed the Panthers to get out in transition and get easy buckets for eight straight minutes.

The thunderous slam from Smith, albeit drawing a technical foul, electrified the Chapman bench and crowd whilst sucking the air out of the Leopards. From there on out, Chapman controlled the game, leading by 23 at one point towards the end of the game. Chapman led wire-to-wire in the contest.

Anthony Smith drops the ��! #SCtop10 #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/6HWRFvrZgh

— Chapman Athletics (@ChapmanSports) February 5, 2023

Smith was a force offensively for Chapman scoring 17, one of three double-digit scorer, Cruz Billings scored a game-high 21 and Daniel Foldes added another 17 alongside five assists and five rebounds.

The Panthers return next Wednesday when they take on CMS at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

By Joe Perrino

Assistant SID / Recreation Sports Manager

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