Orange, Calif. — Chapman's Reed Nakakihara and Reed Smith scored 20 points each to lead the Panthers past the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen, 98-56, in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) matchup Saturday afternoon in Hutton Sports Center.
With the win, Chapman moved to 15-6 overall and improved to 8-4 in SCIAC play. The Kingsmen (6-13, 4-8 SCIAC) suffered the loss after a great shooting day from the Panthers.
Austin Cole led the Kingsmen in points with 12 and Lukas Swidler had his first double-double as he scored 11 points and pulled down 10 boards. He was 5-for-8 from the field, going 1-for-2 from the free throw line.
Kyle Ferreira added 10 points and six assists for the Kingsmen as he went 2-for-4 from the three-point arc. Palmer Chaplin and Michael Wadsworth each had six points.
Chapman started the game off with two three-pointers and a layup, taking a quick 8-2 lead. The Panthers continued to stay on fire from behind the arc and found themselves up 32-18 with eight minutes left in the first half. The Kingsmen fought hard but were unable to stop Chapman's momentum. Heading into halftime, the Panthers led Cal Lutheran 55-27.
The Kingsmen started the second half off on a better note as Swidler made a layup, which was followed by a made three-pointer from Chaplin. However, every shot Cal Lutheran made, Chapman would answer back. The Panthers continued their hot shooting streak in the second half, and walked away with a 98-56 victory over the Kingsmen.
Cal Lutheran will hit the road again as they head up to Santa Cruz, Calif. to play the Banana Slugs at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Box Score: CU 98, CLU 56
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