By W. Alan Wiederhold
Sports Information Director
LeTourneau University
LONGVIEW, Texas – The No. 25 Chapman University Panthers made eight of their first nine shots after halftime and turned a three-point halftime lead into a 12-point advantage four minutes into the second period Thursday en route to a 76-61 victory over LeTourneau.
Griffin Ramme scored 19 points and handed out eight assists to lead Chapman (14-3), who entered the game ranked in the d3hoops.com Top 25 poll.
Jace Williamson (Van Alstyne, Texas/Van Alstyne) scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting to lead LeTourneau (1-15). Kendrae Carter (Houston, Texas/Crosby) added 13 points for the YellowJackets.
Chapman shot 54 percent (32-of-59) from the floor during the game. The Panthers drained 55 percent of their shots (21-of-38) after halftime, including 67 percent (20-of-30) of their 2-point shots.
Though the two teams came out even in second-chance points, Chapman's win was aided by the Panthers' command of the glass on both ends of the court. The Panthers outrebounded LeTourneau 38-26, and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to LeTourneau's 14 defensive caroms.
The YellowJackets cut the visitors' lead to two points or fewer several times early in the second half, but an 8-0 run between the 17:14 and 15:23 marks gave Chapman their first 10-point lead of the game at 41-31.
After missing their first shot of the second half, the Panthers drained their next eight shots as they seized momentum and control of the game.
Deitrich Williams (Fort Worth, Texas/Grace Prep) and Peter Stahl (Katy, Texas/Taylor) scored eight points apiece for the YellowJackets.
Justin Riley and Jon Consani each scored 15 points for Chapman. Riley also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Chapman is a Division III Independent located in Orange, Calif. The university officially applied for membership into the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in October.
The Jackets return to American Southwest Conference play Saturday when they travel to Marshall to face East Texas Baptist. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.