First half sets tone in Panthers' third straight home win

ORANGE, Calif. – A strong first half proved to be enough for the Chapman University women's basketball team Thursday night, as the Panthers defeated the visiting Caltech 71-49 in SCIAC play at the Hutton Sports Center.  It was a team effort for the Panthers as 12 players contributed at least two points. The victory was Chapman's third straight at home and fourth in five games at Hutton this season.

Chapman (13-5 overall, 5-4 SCIAC) showcased a strong offensive attack, as it began a 17-2 run with just 18:46 on the clock. Caltech was unable to contain the Panthers the remainder of the first half, heading into halftime trailing 41-23.

The free throw line proved to be essential in the Panthers early lead, shooting 13 of 15 successfully in the first half. Freshman G Sandra Gao contributed, sinking 6 of 6 free throw attempts in the period. Gao finished the game with a team-high 12 points and four rebounds.

The Panthers' defense also came out strong as it held the Beavers to 37 percent shooting and forced 35 turnovers in the game. Sophomore G Brittany Quon led the charge with a game-high five of Chapman's 19 steals. In addition, sophomore G Andrea Villanueva, who finished with eight points and three assists, added four steals.

With Chapman leading 62-34 in the second half, a three-pointer by freshman G Lauren Sato gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the game at 31 points with 6:18 remaining.

Freshman G Stephanie Wong earned a game-high 17 points for Caltech (1-17 overall, 0-9 SCIAC), while earning an assist and a steal. Beavers' freshman G Ann Chen gained a game-high nine rebounds with seven points and a steal.

Chapman continues SCIAC play Saturday at 5 p.m., visiting the conference-leading Occidental College before returning home to face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps next Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.  

by Bogart Avila & Doug Aiken
Sports Information Intern & Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2012-13/boxscores/20130124_uemk.xml

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