Chapman women take Independents West Region title

IRVING, Texas – It took three months, but the Panthers finally got their revenge.

The Chapman University women's basketball team rallied from eight points down with 7:28 to go in the game to capture the Division III Independents West Region championship with a 65-61 win over Nebraska Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon at the Maher Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Dallas.

The win over Nebraska Wesleyan avenged an early season 68-61 loss at the Colorado College Tournament in November – one of just five losses the Panthers were handed during the regular season.

Chapman (22-5) scored 12 unanswered points, led junior C Brandi Hood who scored six of those points, and took a 60-56 lead before holding on for the four-point victory. Hood scored a team-high 13 points and earned a double-double with 11 rebounds.

The Panthers had trailed early in the game, but recovered and took a 33-31 lead at halftime.

Four Chapman players starters reached double figures in scoring: Simone Ibbotson (12 points), Christina Ly (11 points) and Casey Gomez (10 points). The Panthers shot 52 percent (13 of 25) from the field in the second half.

The championship is the fourth straight DIII Independents West Region title for Chapman, which won three in a row from 2007-09. The championship tournament did not take place in 2010. The Panthers will await their NCAA playoff fate on Monday when the tournament brackets are announced at noon (PST) on www.ncaa.com.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director