Contact:             Doug Aiken
                           (714) 997-6900

Release Date:   January 15, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 

Upcoming Events Calendar
 
Date
Day
Team
Opponent/Event
Site
Time (Pacific)
1/16 Fri. Men's Basketball Life Pacific San Dimas 7:00 pm
1/17 Sat. Women's Swimming Cal Baptist/Biola Riverside 11:00 am
Women's Basketball Pomona-Pitzer Pomona 5:00 pm
1/22 Thu. Men's Basketball West Coast Baptist Home 7:30 pm

Last Week’s Results:

Men’s Basketball
 
Date Opponent Result Record
1/8 Claremont W, 73-68 6-7
1/10 @ Redlands W, 113-100 7-7

Chapman 82, Claremont 77 – The Chapman men not only snapped their four-game losing streak, they erased a monkey that has been on its back all season – its inability to win the close games. The Panthers entered the game 1-5 in games decided by six points or less, but earned an important regional win versus Claremont, 73-68. Chapman ended a tight first half with a layup from sophomore guard Zach Wheatley (Fountain Valley/Fountain Valley High) at the buzzer to take a 40-39 halftime lead. It was all Chapman coming out of the locker rooms in the second half as the Panthers built an eight-point lead, only to see it slowly disappear. With the game tied 64-64 and just under five minutes remaining, freshman guard Danny Krikorian (Costa Mesa/Costa Mesa High) nailed a three-pointer to give the Panthers the lead for good. Freshman guard Patrick Carney (Lake Forest/El Toro High) made four three-pointers and led all scorers with 21 points in the win.

Chapman 113, Redlands 100 – The Panthers returned to the site of their heartbreaking 154-153 triple-overtime loss to the Bulldogs and avenged the loss with another shootout. Trailing by three at halftime, the Panthers shot a breathtaking 69 percent (20-for-29) from the field in the second half, including 7-of-8 three-pointers, while Redlands shot a miserable 24.1 percent (13-for-54). The Panthers scored a season-high 65 points in the half for the 13-point win. Six Panthers reached double-digits in scoring, led by sophomore forward Tony Melum (Costa Mesa/Newport Harbor High), who had 32 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Freshman guards Josh Flynn-Brown (Redondo Beach/Loyola High) and Danny Krikorian each scored 14 points, including four three-pointers apiece.

NCAA Statistical Leaders
The red-hot offense of the Panthers finds itself amidst the top-50 in NCAA Division III in seven different statistical categories (through games of 1/11/04):
 
Scoring Offense Chapman; 80.9 ppg 38th
Field Goal Pct. Chapman; 51.0% 5th
Three-Point FG Per Game Chapman; 8.2 39th
Three-Point FG Pct. Chapman; 41.1% 20th
Three-Point FG Per Game Landon Lewis; 3.2 29th
Three-Point FG Pct. Landon Lewis; 48.4% 15th
Free Throw Pct. Chad Bigler; 86.0 46th

Women’s Basketball
 
Date Opponent Result Record
1/8 Claremont W, 80-69 (OT) 11-3
1/10 Cal Lutheran W, 84-58 12-3

Chapman 80, Claremont 69 – This game may very well have been a preview of a first round NCAA tournament game in March, with Claremont entering the game with just one loss and owner of a December victory versus the Panthers in Claremont, 71-69. Chapman held a double-digit lead through much of the second half and led by 10 with just under four minutes remaining in regulation. But the Athenas outscored the Panthers 12-2 over the final minutes, including six straight points by Allison Welsh, to force an extra period. In that overtime period, the Panthers took advantage of Claremont foul trouble and were sent to the line 18 times, sinking 16 and outscoring the Athenas, 22-11. Senior forward Caroline Jensen (San Diego/University High) scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds in the win. Chapman out-rebounded their opponent 46-35.

Chapman 84, Cal Lutheran 58 – Chapman broke open a one-point game at halftime with 50 second half points to defeating the visiting Cal Lutheran, 84-58. The win was the Panthers third in a row and improved their record to 7-1 at home and 10-1 versus West Region teams. Chapman looked uninspired in a first half that saw it shoot 33 percent from the field and trail much of the first half. But the Panthers stormed out of the locker room after the break to outscore Cal Lutheran 25-6 in the first ten minutes of the second half and build a 20-point lead. In contrast, Chapman shot 58.3 percent from the field after halftime. Senior guard Mel Bongiorno (Stowe, VT/Rice Memorial High) led all scorers with 23 points. Freshman center Sarah Brands (Lake Elsinore/Elsinore High), earned career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (11) for her first career double-double.

NCAA Statistical Leaders
Chapman’s women’s basketball team ranks among the best in Division III in six different statistical categories (through games of 1/11/04):
 
Scoring Offense Chapman; 77.1 ppg 17th
Scoring Margin Chapman; 20.0 ppg 20th
Rebound Margin Chapman; 8.6 rpg 30th
Field Goal Pct. Chapman; 46.9% 5th
Points Per Game Mel Bongiorno; 23.2 ppg 4th
Steals Per Game Mel Bongiorno; 3.5 47th