Panthers climb above .500 with win over Bethesda

ORANGE, Calif. – A late first-half run by the Chapman University women's basketball team gave the Panthers the lead for good and they went on to defeat visiting Bethesda University 71-61 in a non-conference game at the Hutton Center on Friday night.

The win was the Panthers' third in a row – a season-best win streak – and helped Chapman (11-10) climb over .500 for the first time since its season-opening win in November.

Trailing 17-13 with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half, Chapman went on a 17-2 run late in the period and took a nine-point lead (30-21) into the intermission. The offensive momentum was sparked by a pair of three-pointers by freshman G Jaime Hum-Nishikado off the bench. The Panthers then rallied for a 15-3 run to open the second half to build a 21-point advantage with 14:28 left in the game.

Bethesda (10-17) would cut the deficit to six points several times in the final 10 minutes, but the Panthers pushed it back to double digits and held on from there.

Sophomore G Lauren Sato was the only Chapman player to score in double figures with 15 points, including three three-pointers and adding four assists. Hum-Nishikado finished with nine points, all on three-point shots, and senior G Andrea Villanueva pitched in eight points and six assists for the Panthers.

Lisette Longmo led the Flames with 16 points and added eight rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss.

Chapman returns to SCIAC play on Monday when it travels to Cal Lutheran for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff and then will face Redlands on the road on Wednesday. The next home game for the Panthers will be Feb. 21 against La Verne at 2 p.m.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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