Lin leads team to third

   It was a disappointing few weeks for the men's basketball team as the Panthers dropped two in a row, including one game to an old nemesis, and then dropped another in a familiar setting.

   The team lost to Whitman College 77-64 and Whitworth University 58-44 Nov. 25 and 26 at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. The Panthers went on to finish third in the Lee Fulmer Tournament this weekend in Redlands, improving to 4-3. Senior guard Brandon Lin was named to the all-tournament team.

   Before losing 80-79 to Pomona-Pitzer in the Fulmer tournament, the Panthers won the previous two. Chapman has won the tournament seven times since 1947.

   During Thanksgiving break, after an eight-hour drive, the Panthers were greeted by an aggressive Whitman squad and the Whitworth Pirates, the team that ended the Panthers' season in the second round of playoffs two years running.    The players did not use the long bus ride as an excuse for sub-par play.

   "I'm not going to use that excuse of traveling, I've been through it before," said senior forward and center Ben Ricard. "Basically, both were a better team and better coached."

   Chapman's offense couldn't keep up with Whitman, which shot 50 percent behind the three-point line compared to Chapman's 33. Ricard led the team with 23 points and eight rebounds.

    "Our help defense was off," said junior forward Colin Chadwick. "They had open shots."         

   The Panthers didn't do any better against a sharp-shooting Whitworth team. Lin was the most productive with 10 points, while Chadwick led the team with eight rebounds.

   "Our biggest struggle over the weekend was our half-court defense," Lin said. "There will always be days when our shots don't fall, but we should never have nights our defense falls."

   The marked difference in shooting percentage proved to be the difference in both games.

   "We gave up too many easy shots, allowing Whitman and Whitworth to shoot a good percentage," Lin said. "We need to have solid defense on every possession."

   The Panthers also had trouble getting to the line, making two of five free throws compared to Whitworth's nine for 14.

   "It's tough to say what we did well," Ricard said. "I mean, it helps us in building as a team, going through that experience."

   The Panthers adjusted their offense to prepare for the tournament after their experience during Thanksgiving break.

   "We went back and redid our offense," Chadwick said. "We weren't posting up strong enough. We are posting up a lot stronger now. Offensively, we need to get the ball outside."

   Chapman plays Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at home Wednesday.