Chapman Closes the Gap, but Loses

What’s the difference between first and last place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.? Apparently not much when it’s UC Riverside and Chapman playing men’s basketball.

Riverside, ranked third in NCAA Division II, clinched its fourth CCAA title in five seasons with a 63-54 victory over the Panthers Friday at the Hutton Center, but like Riverside’s first victory over Chapman, it didn’t come easy.

The last time Chapman (7-17, 2-10 in the CCAA) and Riverside (22-2, 11-1) played, the Panthers led by two points late in the game before Riverside rallied to win, 63-58. Friday, the Panthers outrebounded (31-24) and outshot (46% to 45%) the Highlanders and trailed by a point, 45-44, midway through the second half before Riverside took control.

“I think our mental errors, which include missing one- or two-foot shots, was the difference between these two teams,” Chapman Coach Bob Boyd said.

The Panthers also committed 17 turnovers, including some unforced errors that made rallying impossible.

Boyd, however, was pleased with his team’s effort and agreed that the Panthers seem to play well against Riverside’s man-to-man defense.

“Strictly vanilla. There’s nothing to confuse you and when that happens I think we play better,” Boyd said.

After Chapman cut Riverside’s lead to 45-44 with 11 minutes 28 seconds left in the game, the Highlanders went on an 8-0 run and the Panthers never cut the margin to fewer than seven again.

Ty Stockham, who made six of six free throws late in the second half, and Gene Altamirano each scored 12 points, and Kevin Anderson scored 10 for Riverside.

Despite continuing stomach problems that kept him out of the first few minutes of the second half, Chapman’s Rog Middleton scored a game-high 24 points, giving him 1,852 points in his career. With two games remaining in his senior season, Middleton needs 33 points to surpass Bob Hamblin as Chapman’s all-time leading scorer.