Chapman’s High-Octane Act Too Much for Puget Sound

Just when it seemed that Chapman College’s basketball team had run out of gas, Dean Balcao stepped forward and filled it up. Again and again and again.

After making just 8 three-point field goals all last season, Balcao made 4 in a little more than a minute. His shooting barrage ignited an 18-0 second-half run that led to Chapman’s 84-68 victory over the University of Puget Sound Saturday night in front of 775 at the Hutton Sports Center.

“Coach has been telling me to look for my shot,” said Balcao, a 6-foot senior guard. “Once I started making them, I just wanted the ball.”

Balcao’s new-found confidence came at an opportune time for the Panthers (6-1), who have won 5 consecutive games.

Puget Sound (6-2) came into the game with a 6-game winning streak. No. 7 was a distinct possibility after Maurice Selvin sank a 3-pointer to cut Chapman’s lead to 62-60 with 4 minutes 55 seconds left.

Enter Balcao.

In the span of 1:20, he scored 12 points, all on 3-point field goals, to give the Panthers a comfortable 74-60 advantage with 2:35 left.

“I was yelling, ‘Be patient, be patient.’ ” Chapman Coach Rich Prospero said. “(Then) Dean steps up and drills 4 three-pointers.”

In all, Balcao made 6 of 7 three-pointers and scored 20 points. As a team, Chapman converted 11 of 17 attempts to set a school record for most 3-point field goals in one game.

“We talk a lot about going with our strengths and shooting is definitely one of them,” Prospero said.

The Panthers certainly showed it Saturday. They shot 60% as a team, compared with 42% by Puget Sound.

Funny thing was, it was the Loggers who were going for the high-percentage shots. They consistently pounded the ball inside to take advantage of their superior height.

But Chapman countered by bunching up in the middle on defense.

“We thought their weakness was their outside shooting,” Prospero said. “We weren’t even challenging the outside shot.”

It took Chapman a little more than 3 minutes to score at the start of the game. But once the Panthers made that first shot--a 3-point field goal by Balcao--they began scoring in clusters.

And, it didn’t hurt that during that 3-minute void, the Loggers could only manage a couple of field goals and a 4-0 lead.

Chapman shot 61.5% from the field in the first half, which negated the Loggers’ 14-11 advantage in rebounds.

Three of the Panthers’ first 4 field goals were 3-pointers, which helped them build an 11-6 lead. It was the largest lead for either team during the first half.

While The Panthers let it fly from long range, the Loggers attempted to get the ball inside to their post players. Nick Klungel (6-foot 8-inches) and Jack Forney (6-6) each had 6 points.

Puget Sound took a 34-30 on a pair of free throws by Aaron Hansen with 1:44 left. But Chapman scored the next 6 points, 4 by Russ Ortega (18 points, 8 rebounds), to take a 36-34 lead at the half.