Chapman’s Rally Falls Short in Loss to CS Dominguez Hills

ORANGE —  Chapman had a brief window of opportunity against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday night.

Leading by six points with 12 minutes 50 seconds left, the Panthers seemed to have a legitimate shot at victory and a share of fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game.

But Dominguez Hills quickly turned it around, scoring the next seven points, and slammed the Panthers with a 92-79 victory at the Hutton Center.

Dominguez Hills (13-5, 4-3 in the CCAA) led by nine at the half, 42-33, but had to fend off a surprisingly strong comeback by the Panthers (5-14, 2-5), who have won only nine conference games in the last four seasons.

The Panthers outscored the Toros 18-9 to open the second half and tied the score, 51-51, on a three-point shot by Brian Kenney with 15:16 left. Chapman moved into the lead on a basket by Richie Bethune, a three-pointer by Aaron Cornell and two free throws by Mike Vaughn. After a layup by Cornell at the 12:50 mark the Panthers led, 60-54.

Dominguez Hills then recovered with its 7-0 run, and the teams traded baskets until the Toros went on a 16-4 run for an 85-72 lead.

During Dominguez Hills’ rally, Chapman’s weakness on the boards was never more evident. The Toros scored seven on tip and other offensive rebounds, effectively breaking the spirit of the Chapman defense.

“That stretch there broke our back,” Chapman Coach Mike Bokosky said. Vince Washington (25 points, eight rebounds) and Joe Bertrand (18 points, nine rebounds) did most of the damage. Albert Kiilehua had nine points and eight rebounds.

Bethune, Chapman’s only significant post threat at 6 feet 7, played one of his best games of the season, scoring 14 of his 15 points in the second half.

Cornell, who made four of five three-pointers and five of six from the field, also had 15 for the Panthers.