Hot start propels Panthers to sixth straight win

ORANGE, Calif. – With postseason basketball on the horizon, the Chapman University women's basketball team got a crucial win, defeating Pomona-Pitzer, 64-49 on Thursday night at the Hutton Sports Center. The victory extends the Panthers winning streak to six games as they remain in third place in the SCIAC with just two games remaining.

Chapman (18-5 overall, 10-4 SCIAC) trailed only once in tonight's ballgame, falling behind 4-0 in the first minute of play. The Sagehens' saw their lead vanish quickly as the Panthers hit five straight shots en route to an 11-0 run. Junior guard Kimi Takaoka was near perfect in the first-half, scoring 16 of her game-high 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a spotless 4-for-4 from beyond the arch. Takaoka and Andrea Villanueva led the charge for the Panthers, combining to score 26 of the team's 33 points before the break.

After the break, Pomona-Pitzer (5-14 overall, 4-8 SCIAC) got off to a slow start, scoring just four points in the first 5:54 as Chapman jumped out to a 47-29 lead. The Panthers pushed their lead to as much as 20 before the Sagehens went on a 12-2 run, bringing the deficit to 10 points at 55-45. The rally fell short, however, and the final buzzer sounded with Chapman on top, 64-49.

The second half of tonight's ballgame belonged to senior Emily McCoy, who scored 10 points over a span of just 10 minutes. McCoy, who is averaging 10.3 points per game, has scored 34 points over her last two games.

Pomona-Pitzer was paced by Vanessa Ho and Amelia Hummel who finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Chapman has just two games remaining in conference to try to remain among the top four teams in the standings. The Panthers will play host to Whittier at the Hutton Sports Center on Saturday at 5 p.m. and will finish the regular season on the road at Caltech on Feb. 14.

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2012-13/boxscores/20130207_eqwy.xml

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
#CUPanthers