Chapman Gets No Points for Style, but Gets Enough for a 73-66 Victory

Chapman College Coach Rich Prospero called it two teams with contrasting offensive styles.

Others might have just called it sloppy basketball.

But, no matter the definition, the Panthers came away with a 73-66 California Collegiate Athletic Assn. victory over Cal State Bakersfield in front of 1,000 Saturday in the Hutton Sports Center.

And a victory, by any other name, still smells as sweet.

“This was quite an effort,” Prospero said. “This was a special effort.”

Special.

The game produced 42 turnovers--23 by Chapman--and 40 fouls. There were also 29 steals, which could be credited to good defense.

Maybe.

What allowed Chapman to win was its shooting. The Panthers shot only 49% from the field, but it still better than Bakersfield’s 42%.

“We were trying to create a faster tempo game, and Bakersfield likes a slower game,” Prospero said. “I don’t think it was bad playing, but contrasting styles.”

However, the Panthers (16-10 overall, 9-5 in conference play) nearly styled themselves out of a victory.

Chapman led by as many as 15 points in the second half--thanks to the efforts of seniors Dean Balcao, Mike Minier and Russ Ortega, all playing their final home game.

With 4 minutes left, Chapman led by 10, 66-56. But a series of turnovers and a trio of missed one-and-one free throw opportunities let Bakersfield back into the game.

Consecutive steals and layups by the Bakersfield’s Tony Price cut the deficit to seven, 66-59, with 3:33 left. The Roadrunners got to within four, 70-66, with 1:08 left, but the contrasting style caught up with them.

Bakersfield (20-7, 9-5) made three turnovers and missed four layups in the final minutes. A pair of free throws by Rog Middleton gave the Panthers a 73-66 lead and finally decided matters with 22 seconds left.

The Panthers had built their big lead mainly in the first half. They led, 34-24, at the half, thanks mostly to a scoring drought by Bakersfield.

With 8:30 left, Brian Volenec scored on a layup to cut the Panther lead to five, 25-20. The Roadrunners didn’t score again until there was 1:28 left.

The Panthers were not exactly putting on an offensive show, as they manged just eight points themselves during that time period. But, it was enough to give Chapman a 33-20 lead with 1 1/2 minutes to go.

Balcao, who scored 19 points, had five of the points, including a three-point field goal that rolled around the rim six times before dropping through the net.

In the second half, Ortega, who scored 19 points, and Minier, who had 12 points (all on three-pointers), were able to get open for some easy shots. And, with 10 minutes left, the Panthers had a 54-39 lead.

Chapman plays Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday in the first round of the conference tournament at UC Riverside.