Contact:
Doug Aiken
(714) 997-6900
Release Date: December 5, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
|
Date
|
Day
|
Team
|
Opponent/Event
|
Site
|
Time
|
| 12/5 | Fri. | Women's Swimming | Claremont Invite | Claremont | TBA |
| Women's Basketball | U.C. Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | 7:00 pm | ||
| Men's Basketball | Redlands* | Redlands | 8:00 pm | ||
| 12/6 | Sat. | Women's Swimming | Claremont Invite | Claremont | TBA |
| Men's Basketball | Lee Fulmer Invitational | Redlands | TBA | ||
| Women's Basketball | Cal State Hayward | Hayward | 7:00 pm |
Last Week’s Results:
Men’s Basketball
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
| 11/21 | Cal Maritime* | W, 75-55 | 1-0 |
| 11/22 | Pacific Union* | W, 84-52 | 2-0 |
| 11/25 | Cal Lutheran | L, 75-76 | 2-1 |
| 11/29 | @ La Verne | L, 82-87 | 2-2 |
Chapman 75, Cal Maritime 55 – Chapman opened up the 2003-04 campaign with a 75-55 win over visiting Cal Maritime Academy in the opening game of the Chapman Invitational Tournament. The Panthers opened up a double-digit lead early in the first half and never relinquished it for the team’s 14th straight victory dating back to last season. Junior guard Chad Bigler (Santa Ana/Foothill High) scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the first half to lead the Panthers offensive attack, including a pair of three-pointers. Not surprisingly, junior guard Landon Lewis (Brea/Brea Olinda High) began the season with an impressive performance beyond the arc, sinking six-of-nine three-point shots for 18 points. Lewis also led the team with four assists. Chapman led by more than 20 throughout most of the second half and shot 51.7 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Richard Coombs (Pomona/Diamond Ranch High) pitched in 12 points and was 6-for-7 from the floor.
Chapman 84, Pacific Union 52 – Chapman won its 15th straight game and completed a two-game sweep of its own Chapman Invitational Tournament with a 32-point win over visiting Pacific Union College, 84-52. With the win, the Panthers improved to a perfect 16-0 in eight years of play in the tournament. Chapman scored 52 first half points on the strength of 60.7 percent field goal shooting to build a 27-point halftime lead. The Panthers cooled only slightly in the second half, sinking 55 percent of their shots from the floor. Exactly half of the Panthers’ field goals came from three-point range, led by freshman guard Patrick Carney (Lake Forest/El Toro High) who nailed four threes and scored a game-high 22 points. Carney added three assists. Chad Bigler pitched in 21 points for Chapman, including three three-pointers.
Cal Lutheran 76, Chapman 75 – Cal Lutheran’s Ron Russ made a layup with one second remaining in the game to give the Kingsmen a 76-75 victory over host Chapman. The basket one-upped the Panthers who took a brief one-point lead on a Chad Bigler three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining in a thrilling game that featured three lead changes and four ties in the final six minutes of play. Cal Lutheran jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game and led throughout the entire first half. However, Chapman stormed back in the second half, erasing an eight-point deficit on a 23-7 scoring run that saw the Panthers lead by eight midway through the half. The Panthers took their first lead of the game on the first of two Danny Krikorian (Costa Mesa/Costa Mesa High) three-point field goals at the 16-minute mark in the second half. Cal Lutheran led for the final three minutes of play, until Bigler hit his aforementioned shot to give the Panthers a brief lead. Three Panthers scored in double-digits led by Landon Lewis who scored 18 points, including four three-pointers. Bigler finished with 15 points.
La Verne 87, Chapman 82 – The Panthers suffered their second
straight heart-breaking loss – this one a five-point road loss at the hands
of the Leopards. Chapman shot a season-low 39.6 percent from the field
and was out-rebounded by La Verne, 38-26. The loss wasted a stellar performance
from Chad Bigler, who led all scorers with a career-high 31 points and
led the team with six rebounds.
Women’s Basketball
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record |
| 11/21 | vs. Whittier* | W, 84-62 | 1-0 |
| 11/22 | @ Redlands* | W, 84-77 (OT) | 2-0 |
| 11/24 | Pacific Union | W, 96-42 | 3-0 |
| 11/25 | @ Caltech | W, 101-14 | 4-0 |
| 11/26 | La Verne | W, 79-62 | 5-0 |
| 12/2 | Pomona-Pitzer | W, 74-52 | 6-0 |
| 12/3 | @ Claremont | L, 69-71 | 6-1 |
Chapman 84, Whittier 62 – Senior guard Mel Bongiorno (Stowe, VT/Rice Memorial High) entered the Panthers’ season-opening game seemingly in mid-season form. Bongiorno led Chapman’s 22-point win over Whittier in the first round of the Redlands Tournament with 36 points – one short of her career-best and two short of the Chapman record – and added six rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Caroline Jensen (San Diego/University High) earned her first double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Chapman 84, Redlands 77 – The Panthers rallied from a five-point first half deficit and forced overtime, then out-scored the Bulldogs with an impressive 16-9 differential in the overtime period to complete their Redlands Tournament sweep. Chapman went to the line 15 times in overtime and converted on 11 free throws. Caroline Jensen led the way for Chapman with 22 points and 10 rebounds, earning all-tournament honors. Tournament MVP Mel Bongiorno scored another 20 points before fouling out in overtime. Junior guard Kelly Crampton (Livermore/Granada High) scored in double-digits for the second straight game, with 10 points and five assists.
Chapman 96, Pacific Union 42 – Chapman improved to 3-0 this season with a 96-42 win over visiting Pacific Union College in its home opener at the Hutton Sports Center. The Panthers’ 54-point win was the team’s largest margin of victory since a 58-point defeat of La Sierra to open the 2000-01 season. Chapman’s two seniors paced the team offensively, getting 32 points from Mel Bongiorno and another 20 from Caroline Jensen. For Bongiorno, it is the second time already this season she has scored more than 30 in a game after earning MVP honors of the Redlands Tournament last weekend. Jensen grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds for her third double-double in as many games. Freshman forward Tiffany Jensen (San Diego/University High), the younger sister of Caroline, scored a career-high 11 points in her home debut.
Chapman 79, La Verne 62 – In a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division III Tournament first round playoff game, Chapman defeated the University of La Verne, 79-62 at home. The win makes the Panthers 5-0, their best start since 1998, and concludes a span of five games in six days to begin the season. Chapman began the game on a 14-2 run and led by as many as 26 points midway through the second half. The Panthers took advantage of 30 La Verne turnovers, but were out-rebounded by the Leopards, 36-35. Mel Bongiorno led all scorers with 22 points, giving her at least 20 in each of the first five games this season. Bongiorno, who finished sixth in Division III last season in scoring average, is averaging 26 points per game through five games. She also had five steals and five rebounds.
Chapman 74, Pomona-Pitzer 52 – Chapman defeated visiting Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 74-52 and improved to 6-0 to start the season – the team’s best start in 19 years when the team posted an 8-0 record at the beginning of the 1984-85 season. The Panthers shot a season-low 42.5 percent field goal percentage and scored a season-low 74 points, but managed to win by 22 points, their fifth double-digit victory in six games. Caroline Jensen reached season-highs in points (26) and rebounds (18) for her fourth double-double of the season. Mel Bongiorno scored 20 or more points for the sixth straight game, finishing with 23 points and eight rebounds. Chapman built a double-digit lead in the first half and led by as many as 21 points early in the second half, but Pomona-Pitzer went on a 13-0 run to cut the Panthers’ lead to eight. Chapman responded with a 14-0 run of its own to build the 22-point lead it eventually won by.
Claremont 71, Chapman 69 – In her first return visit to Claremont – where she graduated and recently guided the Athenas to a second place conference finish in 2002-03 – first-year Chapman head coach Carol Jue found the Ducey Gym less than inviting as the Panthers suffered their first loss of the season, 71-69, in Claremont Wednesday night. Despite another 30-plus point night from Mel Bongiorno, the third time she’s done that this season, the rest of the team shot just 42.4 percent from the field and scored 36 points. Claremont led by five points at halftime and held on during a tightly played second half to win by two. The Athenas improved to 4-0 while the Panthers dropped to 6-1.