Three-Pointer Fails, Chapman Falls

For the time it took a basketball to travel about 40 feet, Kevin Stafford looked like a Chapman College hero Friday night.

Stafford was sure his three-point attempt with a second remaining was going in and the game with UC Riverside was going into overtime.

“I knew that was going in,” Stafford said. “When I let it go, I just felt it was going.”

But the shot hit the back of the rim and UC Riverside held on to win, 67-64, a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game in front of a 1,600-fan homecoming crowd at the Hutton Center.

With the victory, Riverside (19-7 and 9-4 in the CCAA) remained alone in second place. Chapman, already eliminated from the four-team postseason tournament, dropped to 11-15 and 3-10.

The Panthers, who trailed by 15 at halftime, put together a strong rally in the second half and came as close as two missed three-point shots in the final six seconds of sending the game into overtime.

Riverside’s Mike Ritter, the conference’s second-leading free-throw shooter at 85% entering the game, missed two front ends of one-and-ones in the final 30 seconds. The first miss set up a three-point basket by Chris Martin to cut Riverside’s lead to three; the second set up Stafford’s near miss.

Chapman made two runs at the Highlanders. Rog Middleton, who scored 31 in his conference high of the season, scored three consecutive baskets and Martin made a three-point shot to cut the lead to three, 53-50, with 10 minutes, 23 seconds remaining.

But Riverside quickly upped its lead to eight when Kevin Krause put in a rebound and Ritter made a three-pointer.

Riverside led by six with 1:15 remaining when Chapman made its final run. Middleton made two free throws, Andre Hill made a steal and a layup and Martin hit a three-pointer after Ritter missed a free throw. Leading by one with 14 seconds remaining, Reggie Howard made two free throws to give Riverside the final three-point lead.

Riverside took a 37-22 lead at the half on the strength of its three-point shooting. The Highlanders made five of eight three-point attempts in the first half and made 10 of 23 in the game.

Chris Ceballos, who opened the game with a three-pointer, scored 13 points to lead the Highlanders at the half. He and Howard each finished with 16 points to lead Riverside.

Frantz Reyes added 11 points and 14 rebounds for Chapman.

Notes

Chapman guard Von Shuler was suspended from the team for the final two games “due to an attitude problem unacceptable to the basketball staff.”