Surprising Chapman Set to Meet Dominguez Hills

A familiar fixture, UC Riverside, sits atop the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.’s basketball standings after one round of play.

Then there’s the matter of second place. Say it slowly now: C-h-a-p-m-a-n.

The Chapman College Panthers, a preseason pick to finish last in the CCAA, are in second place.

Last weekend, the Panthers (5-2, 12-9) gained that position by defeating Riverside and Cal Poly Pomona in road games. Before those victories, Chapman was 1-8 away from Hutton Sports Center.

The second half of the CCAA season begins tonight as Cal State Dominguez Hills plays at Chapman. The Toros defeated the Panthers in the conference opener, 76-69, at Dominguez Hills.

Chapman, 9-1 at home, has won five of its last seven games.

Senior guard Jon Samuleson (16.1 average) continues to lead the Panthers in scoring. He had 17 points against Pomona. Forward Kelly Huston is averaging 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, and center Karl Tompkins is next with 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds.

David Roth, a freshman from Orange High, has started the last five games for the Panthers and had a career-high 27 points against Riverside.

Dominguez Hills is led by 6-4 senior forward William Alexander, who became the CCAA’s all-time leading scorer last weekend. Alexander scored 33 points in an 88-70 loss to UC Riverside Saturday night for a career total of 1,565. Alexander, who averages 21.6 points and 6 rebounds, moved ahead of Chapman’s Eric Butler, who had scored 1,551 points (1979-’82).

Dominguez Hills (4-3, 14-6) is tied with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for third place.