ORANGE, Calif. — The Panthers prevailed victorious to start out the new year. Chapman men's basketball came back from down by as many as 15 points in the first half to defeat Vassar College 70-69 at home. Senior guard and leader Cruz Billings muscled and clawed his way to 25 points along with three rebounds, five assists and two steals. He led the Panthers' comeback trail earning a steal and a layup to kick start it all when Chapman was down 15 points. Then, the senior scored the final layup of the game for Chapman which clinched the one point victory. 

Senior All-SCIAC Athlete Jake Heberle also netted 16 points along with eight rebounds on an efficient 50 percent shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Joe Keegan also netted 10 points along with two crucial blocks. Keegan's second block came with just 5:20 to play in the game. Vassar guard Sebastian Medina drove down the lane to float the ball up and Keegan jumped from the left side to swat the ball into the back wall of the Hutton Sports Center. 

Chapman locked down despite Vassar four players score at least nine points with three of them in double figures. The Panthers also forced the Brewers into foul trouble early in the second half where they earned valuable points in the bonus from the free throw line. In the second half, Vassar shot just 16 percent from the three-point line and committed 15 turnovers overall. The Panthers scored 20 points off those turnovers. 

The comeback is Chapman's largest of the season and clinches their third straight win. The Panthers now improve to 7-3 overall and 2-0 in SCIAC play. Chapman returns to action on Monday, Jan. 5 at Cal Lutheran which marks a true start to SCIAC play.