ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman got a defensive stop as time expired to hold off Whitworth 72-69 in a non-conference women's basketball game on Thursday afternoon at the Hutton Sports Center.
The Pirates fell to 3-8 while the Panthers improved to 6-3. The Bucs finished 1-2 on their trip to California.
Whitworth rallied from an early deficit in the opening quarter after Chapman took a 15-7 lead on a layup by Shanna Brown. The Pirates fought back to tie the game 21-21 on a three-pointer by Sydney McLean. Chapman got a basket at the buzzer to go up 23-21 after one period. Both teams shot well in the opening quarter with Whitworth making 57% and Chapman 56%.
Trailing 33-29 six minutes into the second quarter, the Pirates got back-to-back three-pointers from Dawson Driggs and Mya Edwards to take their first lead. It was Whitworth's turn to hit a basket at the buzzer and Cheyenne Rodgers made it count to give the Bucs a 40-36 lead at halftime. Whitworth was 3-6 from beyond the arc and 7-17 (41%) from the field in the second period.
The teams traded leads four times in the third quarter and the Pirates led 50-47 after a jumper from Edwards with just under four minutes to play. Chapman closed the half on an 8-0 run to take a 55-50 lead after three quarters. Five turnovers in the quarter limited Whitworth to only nine shots.
After the Panthers took a 63-57 lead four minutes into the final quarter, Emma Maxwell answered with a three-pointer. But the Pirates scored only two more points over the next four minutes, allowing Chapman to go up 70-62. Kimberly Dewey sparked Whitworth with a three-point play to begin a 7-0 run that got the Bucs within 70-69. Makena Nitao made a long two-point jumper to stop the run with 57 seconds to play. Whitworth had possession with six seconds left looking for a tying three-pointer, but couldn't get a clean shot.
Dewey led the Pirates with 17 points and dished three assists. Driggs scored 13 off the bench, 11 in the first quarter. Edwards finished with a dozen points and eight rebounds. Zalissa Sanfo had 10 rebounds and six blocks on the defensive end. Whitworth finished the game 27-54 (50%) from the floor, 10-19 (53%) from three-point range. The Pirates had 17 turnovers.
Nitao scored 26 points to lead Chapman, while Brown scored 12 off the bench.
Whitworth will return to action on January 2nd when the Pirates host Whitman College.
