Hot-Shooting UC Riverside Defeats Chapman, 83-69

Chapman College lost another basketball game Saturday night, 83-69, to UC Riverside in the Hutton Sports Center, but don’t ask Panthers Coach Kevin Wilson how it happened.

Wilson isn’t talking. At least not to the local press, at least not for the time being.

Upset over what he considers negative coverage by the two Orange County newspapers that follow his team, Wilson has clammed up. Before Saturday’s game, Wilson informed Chapman sports information director B.B. Branton that his post-game interview sessions are now post-mortem.

“That could be it for the year,� Branton said.

Immediately after the loss to Riverside, Wilson high-tailed it out of the Chapman locker room, followed shortly thereafter by assistant Dave Nahabedian, who told waiting reporters, “He (Wilson) has got other things to do.�

So, for a comment on the evening’s proceedings--which included 15 Chapman turnovers in the first half and 58% field goal shooting by Riverside for the game--we turn to Riverside Coach John Masi: “That was not Chapman basketball in the first half. They were coming off a win over Pomona, they had momentum, they were playing at home. It was a combination of us getting hot and them getting cold at the same time.

“We felt going in that we we had to take them out early.�

The Highlanders did precisely that with some uncanny outside shooting. Riverside converted 18 of 33 field goal attempts (54.5%) in the first half. Sixteen baskets came from the outside. “We haven’t been that hot all season,� Masi said. “I feel we have the potential to be a good-to-great outside shooting team, but we haven’t shown it this year. This was our best showing to date, and it’s a good time to do it--on the road, in conference.�

The Highlanders, who share the early lead in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. with a 3-1 record (13-4 overall), took advantage of their well-directed jump shots and Chapman’s mis-directed passes--opening a 12-4 lead and building it to 18 points (40-22) by halftime.

Chapman (1-3, 10-7) almost made it interesting by pulling to within eight points at 66-58 with 4:08 remaining. But then the Panthers slipped back into first-half form, getting outscored, 13-5, over the next two minutes.

Five Highlanders scored in double figures. Guards Andre Greer and David Myers, leading the long-range barrage, scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, followed by Tom Mullinax and Brad Husen with 12 apiece and Uiki Niko with 10.

Chapman received 16 points from Mike Kelly, who, for a good portion of the game, represented the entire Panther offense. Karl Cato had 10 points--all of them coming in the second half--with Johnny Williams adding 12 and Jerry Ross 10.