ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with a 2-1 road trip through New York and New Jersey. The Panthers bookended the trip with wins over Yeshiva and Baruch but fell to Stevens.
Seniors Cruz Billings and Jake Heberle led the Panthers on the trip. Billlings averaged a team-best 18 points per game, shooting over 57 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range. He also averaged four assists per game. Heberle nearly averaged a double-double through the week-long trip with 15 points and nine rebounds per game.
Yeshiva – W, 81-77
A back-and-forth battle through the first 30 minutes, the Panthers used a 6-0 run around the 10-minute mark of the second half to take the lead for good. The lead reached as much as nine with five minutes to go and Chapman held off Yeshiva down the stretch to capture the season-opening victory.
Billings scored 17 points while Heberle added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Joe Keegan came off the bench to score eight points and grab nine rebounds.
Stevens – L, 84-66
Stevens had two players score 20-plus points and scored 46 points in the paint as the Panthers fell 84-66. Stevens jumped out to a double digit lead in the first 10 minutes and saw it grow to over-20 in the first half. Chapman battled back to cut the lead down to just six points early in the second half before Stevens pulled away.
Billings scored 18 points with five assists while Heberle scored 13 and Scott Schulz grabbed nine rebounds.
Baruch – W, 68-64
It was a happy Sunday flight home as the Panthers ended the trip with a narrow victory over Baruch. A 13-2 run after the seven-minute mark in the first half gave Chapman a nine-point lead, which recached double digits before halftime on a Joe Jack three-pointer.
The Panthers looked to be pulling away early in the second half but Baruch slowly cut down on the Panthers' advantage and tied the game at 52-52 with under nine minutes to go. Scott Schulz knocked down a three-pointer to regain the lead for the Panthers and Chapman continued to hold off Baruch down the stretch for the victory.
Billings scored another 19 points with five assists and four rebounds. Heberle added in 16 points and nine rebounds. Nine different players scored for the Panthers, totaling 30 points off the bench compared to Baruch's five.
The Panthers are back home for an exhibition game against Life Pacific on Saturday before taking on Puget Sound on Nov. 26 in the Hutton Sports Center.
