Losing skid snapped as Panthers ward off late Leopards rally

ORANGE, Calif. – Visiting University of La Verne nearly overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 1:16 of the game, but the Chapman University men's basketball team held on for a 65-64 victory at the Hutton Sports Center on Wednesday night. The Panthers heaved a sigh of relief thanks to a missed Leopards free throw with 1.4 seconds remaining, allowing Chapman (9-6 overall, 3-3 SCIAC) to win in regulation.

The win snapped the Panthers' three-game losing streak and improved the team's overall record at home to 8-3.

Chapman led throughout almost the entire the second half. La Verne (5-9 overall, 2-4 SCIAC) gained the lead just twice in the period, the first time after rallying from a nine-point deficit with an 11-0 run to take a 42-41 lead at the 12:13 mark. The Leopards again led by one, 49-48 three minutes later on a basket by G Ron See – two of his 15 points in the game.

However, Chapman answered with a 12-1 run thanks, in part, to a pair of buckets from junior G Taylor Hamasaki, who finished with a team-high 19 points. That gave the Panthers a 59-50 lead with 4:43 remaining, and they would keep La Verne at a distance until the Leos rallied in the final 1:16.

Two Chapman turnovers and 0-for-3 shooting from the free throw line in the final 73 seconds allowed La Verne to crawl back. The Leopards got a jumper from C Niall Harrison and a three-pointer from G Kendall McClain to cut the lead to two. Then with 1.4 seconds on the clock, See made the first of two free throws but couldn't knock down the second sealing the victory for Chapman.

The Panthers didn't do themselves any favors down the stretch, making just 2 of 7 free throw attempts in the second half. In fact, Chapman shot better from the field (48.2 percent) than they did from the charity stripe (47.4 percent) in the game.

La Verne G Weston Newell led all scorers with 23 points, including 3 of 4 from three-point range, and added six rebounds.

For Chapman, senior F Nick Dragovich earned his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior G Colin Zavrsnick added 16 points, including a pair of threes.

The win moves Chapman into a tie for fourth place in the SCIAC as the Panthers approach the halfway mark of the conference schedule next week. La Verne falls into a tie for seventh in the SCIAC standings. Chapman returns home on Saturday to host Occidental College at 5 p.m. at the Hutton Center.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20140115_6fk5.xml

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