ORANGE, Calif. – Offensive rebounds and second chance points hurt the visiting Whitworth Pirate women's basketball team in a 76-67 loss to Chapman on Tuesday afternoon.
The Pirates (3-5) dropped their third straight game while the Panthers (4-5) used 17 offensive rebounds to create quality chances and maintain their lead.
Keely Maves got the scoring started and put in six of the first eight Pirate points from several well-executed pick and rolls with Ashlyn Peterson. After a quick 8-1 Whitworth run to start the game, Chapman regrouped and took a 12-11 lead at the 3:51 mark after a Layla Woods jumper. The lead changed four times in the final four minutes of the quarter before the Panthers banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a 20-16 lead.
The second quarter began with a quick three-pointer from Mya Bair to put the Pirates within one. After a Chapman three-pointer and Peterson layup, the Panthers scored six unanswered points to stretch the lead to 10 with 6:29 remaining. Whitworth got a pair of shots to fall with a Peterson three-pointer and Ella Curry jump shot that cut the lead to six with just under three minutes to play in the first half. The Pirates trailed at halftime 38-31. Whitworth shot 40% from the field and Peterson led with 11 points.
Each team traded baskets to start the third quarter before a Peterson long-range jumper sparked a 7-0 Pirate run that shrunk the Panther lead to 42-41 with 4:41 left in the period. Whitworth would not get any closer as Chapman responded quickly with six straight points from Shanna Brown. The Panthers converted a three-point play and took a 58-48 lead heading into the final frame.
Whitworth started the fourth with a bucket from Curry and a Julianna Jeross three-pointer to get back within eight at the 6:30 mark. Kira Watanabe then made back-to-back three-point baskets to give Chapman their largest lead of the game 68-54 with 5:34 to play. The Bucs battled down the stretch as they forced five turnovers and outscored the Panthers 13-8 in the final five and a half minutes but could not break through.
The Pirates shot a season-high 42.1% from beyond the arc (8-19 3PT) and 42.6% from the field. Chapman shot 37.2% from the field but had 17 more attempts than Whitworth, while making nine of 18 three-point tries. The Panthers had a 49-38 advantage in rebounds and scored 16 second-chance points.
Peterson led the Pirates with 18 points and six assists. Jeross and Maves each had 12 points with Bair scoring 11 along with three steals. Curry put up a season-high eight points on four of six shots.
Makena Nitao had 18 points and Brown scored 17 to lead Chapman. Watanabe added 15 points on five three-point field goals.
The Whitworth women visit Cal Lutheran on Wednesday at 2:00PM to wrap up the non-conference schedule.
