Cal Lu rallies against Chapman to capture women's hoops tournament

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The top-seeded Cal Lutheran University women's basketball team defeated visiting Chapman University 59-54 at the Gilbert Arena to claim the championship in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Final on Saturday night. The Regals rallied from a first-half double-digit deficit to beat the Panthers and earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament which begins next week.

The loss snapped No. 2-seed Chapman's nine-game winning streak and leaves the Panthers hoping and waiting for an at-large Pool 'C' berth into the NCAA playoffs. The tournament bracket and postseason selections will be announced on Monday at 11:30 a.m. PST.

A fast break basket by Jazmyne Porter with 7:51 remaining in the game gave Cal Lutheran the lead for good at 42-40. The Regals went on to lead by as many as seven points late in the game, forcing Chapman to foul in the final minute when Cal Lu went 9-for-10 from the line, including Porter who made two toward her team-high 18 points.

Chapman (21-6) jumped out to a fast start in Thousand Oaks, building a 14-3 lead after the first 6:20 of play – seven of those coming from junior G Kimi Takaoka who made one of her five three-pointers in the game during the run.

However, the Regals came roaring back to tie the game at 19 with 5:01 remaining in the first half and the teams would begin a back-and-forth that included five ties and three lead changes. Cal Lutheran (23-4) never led in the half as Chapman regained the lead three more times, including another three-pointer from Takaoka before the buzzer which appeared to give the Panthers some momentum heading into halftime leading 26-23.

After a pair of free throws from Takaoka to open the second half, Cal Lutheran went on a 12-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a seven-point lead at 35-28 as Chapman was held scoreless during a span of 6:18 off the clock.

The pendulum then swung the other way as Takaoka sparked a 10-2 Panther rally. The junior hit another three to give Chapman a brief 38-37 advantage before the Regals took over for good.

Takaoka finished with a game-high 32 points – the only Panther to score in double figures. Freshman F Sandra Gao led Chapman with 10 rebounds.

Porter, along with Channing Fleischmann (12 points) earned double-digit points for Cal Lu.

Cal Lutheran captured the rubber match in the season series between the two schools after then each won at home versus the other during the regular season. The Regals earned both the SCIAC's regular season and the tournament championships and will await their playoff opponent/destination on Monday morning as well.

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2012-13/boxscores/20130223_psgx.xml

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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