College Roundup : Chapman Holds Off Cal Lutheran Rally, 79-76

Bryan Richetto scored 23 points and Mike Minier added 16 points and 8 rebounds as Chapman College withstood a late Cal Lutheran rally to score a 79-76 nonconference victory Saturday night at Chapman.

Chapman (4-1) led, 77-71, with 1 minute left before Cal Lutheran pulled to within 77-73 with 53 seconds left on 2 free throws by Jeff Logsdon. After Minier missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity, Steve deLaveaga hit a 3-point shot with 19 seconds left to reduce Chapman’s lead to 77-76.

Three seconds later, however, Minier made both ends of a 1-and-1 situation after he was fouled by Logsdon. With time running out, deLaveaga and David Rowlands missed 3-point shots and Chapman had held on for the victory.

“Cal Lutheran got very physical defensively and that took us out of our game in the final minutes,” Chapman Coach Rich Prospero said. “We didn’t keep our composure.

“I realize that SCC (Southern California College) beat us, but this Cal Lutheran team is the best team we’ve played this season. They came out well-prepared, and that deLaveaga is an incredible player.”

deLaveaga, who made 12 of his 24 shots, scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. Cal Lutheran (5-3) also received 16 points from Blake Miraglia and 14 points and 8 rebounds from Mike Demeter.

Russ Ortega, who scored 14 points for Chapman, also had 8 rebounds.