Playing its season opener on the road, the University of La Verne men's basketball team suffered a 67-49 setback to Chapman University at the Hutton Center Tuesday night in Orange.
The Leopards trailed 9-0 before outscoring the Panthers 21-11 as an Austin Napolitano jumper gave La Verne a 21-20 advantage with 5:06 remaining in the first half.
The lead was short-lived, as the Panthers embarked on a 11-0 run to close the first half to take a 31-21 lead into intermission. Chapman shot 51.9% (14-27) from the field in the opening 20 minutes compared to 40.0% (10-25) for the Leopards.
Though La Verne would shoot 50% (12-24) in the second half, Chapman would maintain its double-digit advantage throughout the remainder of the contest. The Panthers led by as many as 19 points before the Leos would cut the margin to 12 points with 3:22 left to play.
Chapman would pad its lead via the free throw line in the final minutes, finishing with a 14-of-19 effort from the free throw line.
The Leopards shot 44.9% from the field but went 0-4 from three-point range.
John Leggett led La Verne in scoring with 12 points followed by Mychal Thomas with 10. Napolitano, Alex Wolpe, Jonathan Bastos and Trevor Woodland each contributed with 6 points.
Chapman's Griffin Ramme led all scorers with 23 points while Justin Riley collected 17 points and 6 rebounds.
La Verne returns home Tuesday night to face American Sports University at Frantz Athletic Court. Tip-off is 7:30 pm.
