Offensive charge helps Chapman extinguish Firestorm

ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman University women's basketball team earned its largest margin of victory this season with a 30-point win over Arizona Christian University at the Hutton Sports Center on Friday night. The Panthers' offensive push was led by sophomore G Kimi Takaoka with 18 points and junior G Emily McCoy with 15 points.

Chapman (12-9) immediately jumped ahead with a 10-0 lead in the first 4:12 of the game and maintained the lead and momentum throughout, finishing the first half with a 54-24 advantage. Takaoka and McCoy led the way with 12 points apiece in the half.

Ball control in the first half shifted between the Panthers and Firestorm considerably, with ACU committing 23 turnovers and Chapman 13. 

In the second half, Chapman extended its lead to as many as 45 points on a basket by senior F Ari Luna with 9:03 remaining in the game, making the score 81-36 in favor of the Panthers.

Arizona Christian (8-16) out-scored Chapman 25-10 over the final 9 minutes, led by senior G Steffani Liscum who scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half. Liscum reached a career milestone with her final bucket giving her 1,001 points for her career.

In all, Chapman had four players reach double-digits in scoring. Besides Takaoka and McCoy, freshman G Andrea Villanueva scored 11 and senior C Brandi Hood finished with 10. Takaoka also pitched in a game-high six assists. Chapman's 91 points are the team's third-highest scoring total of the season.

The win snaps Chapman's three-game losing streak and improved the Panthers' record at home to 6-2 this season.

by Jessica Mitchell & Doug Aiken
Sports Information Intern and Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2011-12/boxscores/20120203_uqk6.xml

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