Hood's double-double helps lift Chapman to 10th-straight win

ORANGE, Calif. – Senior C Brandi Hood had a career-high 19 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Chapman University women's basketball team to a 61-49 win over the University of Southern Maine on Friday afternoon at the Hutton Sports Center.

Senior F Simone Ibbotson and junior G Mary Petrie also scored in double-figures for Chapman with 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Panthers have now won 10 in a row, last losing 68-61 to Nebraska Wesleyan on Nov. 27. The 10-game winning streak is their longest since closing out the 2007-08 season with 12 wins in a row.

Southern Maine (5-6) led for the first six minutes of the game, but a three-point play by Ibbotson at the 13:25 mark tied the score at 9-9 and marked the last time that Chapman trailed. Petrie then scored a bucket followed by a pair of free throws by freshman G Kimi Takaoka which capped a 7-0 Chapman run to take a 13-9 lead. Freshman G Lauren Rousseau narrowed Chapman's lead to 13-12 with a three-pointer with 9:22 remaining in the half but Southern Maine could not get any closer for the remainder of the game.

Chapman (11-3) pushed its lead to double-figures early in the second half on a layup by Hood. The Panthers' took their largest lead of the night with 8:54 remaining in the game after senior G Casey Gomez hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 54-41. Gomez had seven points and three rebounds for the Panthers.

After Gomez's bucket, Southern Maine got back within six points with a 7-0 run highlighted by junior G Renee Nicholas who had four of her eight points during that stretch. The Huskies were led by junior F Courtney Cochran's 15 point, 15 rebound performance.

by Chris Watts
Sports Information Assistant

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2010-11/files/usm-cu.htm