ORANGE, Calif. – In a crucial late-season battle, the Chapman University men's basketball team had no answer for the hot shooting Redlands Bulldogs, dropping a 90-83 decision at the Hutton Sports Center on Saturday. The loss marked the third straight for the Panthers on their home court as they fall below .500 in conference play with five games remaining in the regular season.

The Bulldogs came out firing in the first half, jumping out to an early 10-3 lead with three-pointers from Ricky Peetz and Aljosa Bjekovic. Chapman (11-9, 5-6 SCIAC) made a valiant effort to shrink the Redlands (8-11, 4-6 SCIAC) lead, but the shots kept falling for the Bulldogs. In the first 20 minutes, Redlands made 9-of-12 three-pointers to take a 51-42 lead into halftime.

While they struggled to keep pace, the Panthers narrowed the gap thanks to 52 percent shooting from the field, including double-digit first-halves from junior G Taylor Hamasaki, junior G Colin Zavrsnick and senior F Nick Dragovich.

The Panthers stepped it up in the second half, going on a 12-2 run at the midway point, capped by a Zavrsnick three-pointer. Free throws kept Chapman in the game, converting 18-of-20 on the day.

However, a strong Redlands shooting performance proved too much for the Panthers to handle. The Bulldogs shot 73 percent from three-point range, making 11-of-15 attempts. Free throws down the stretch sealed the victory for Redlands.

Zavrsnick and Hamasaki led the way for Chapman, scoring 29 and 18 points respectively. Dragovich added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Panthers while senior C John Joyce led the team with nine rebounds.

For Redlands, senior F Alex Rudd led the team with 21 points, shooting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Peetz scored 19 for the Bulldogs, and sophomore  F Aljosa Bjekovic added 12 points as well.  

Chapman had won 11 of last 12 matchups versus Bulldogs dating back to 2007. The loss drops Chapman in the SCIAC standings, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy.

The Panthers have a week off to prepare for the Whittier Poets, the first of two straight road contests before returning home for the final two regular season home games. Tip-off in Whittier is slated for 5 p.m.

Box score: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/boxscores/20140201_bi7t.xml

by Ryan Cavinder and Mitchell Eby
Sports Information Staff

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