ORANGE, Calif. – A career night from Blakely Stoughton and a few clutch shots late in the game led the Chapman University men's basketball team to a 75-70 overtime victory over Pomona-Pitzer. Tonight's overtime win coupled with an Occidental loss puts Chapman in a tie for fourth in the SCIAC standings at 7-6. The Panthers improved to 13-9 overall.
Murphy Caffo scored six consecutive points for the Panthers to force overtime and give Chapman a four-point lead to start the extra period. Caffo scored nine in the game with eight rebounds and three assists.
Down two with 22 seconds remaining, Caffo made his way to the rim and dropped in a layup as he was fouled by Pomona-Pitzer's Pete Boyle. He missed the free throw but the Panthers did not allow the Sagehens to get a shot off at the end of regulation and sent the game to overtime.
Caffo continued to dominate in the post as he scored at the rim on the Panthers' fist two possessions in overtime to take a 73-69 lead. The Panthers led the rest of the way with a three-pointer from Cruz Billings and two from Jake Heberle keeping Chapman out in front by multiple possessions.
Heberle continued to have the hot hand after averaging 28 points per game last week. He hit five of his nine three-point attempts and scored 20 points. Stoughton poured in a career-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists as well as a steal and a block. He scored 12 in the first half and 15 in the second to lead the Panthers.
Neither team led by more than nine points throughout the game, which featured 10 lead changes and eight ties. The Panthers shot 41.2 percent overall and made 11 three-pointers while shooting 40.7 percent beyond the arc. Pomona-Pitzer was led by 18 points from Ty Bergman and shot 44.6 percent on the night, hitting seven three-pointers. The teams combined for just 17 turnovers with Panthers committing nine and the Sagehens committing eight.
Chapman's biggest win of the season keeps them in the race for the final spot in the SCIAC Tournament with three games remaining. The Panthers' host Whittier on Saturday at 2 p.m. in their home finale and Senior Day.
