ORANGE, Calif. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball squad outscored host Chapman University over the final 20 minutes but was unable to erase an early deficit, stumbling 69-49 in the first of three games in southern California.

The host Panthers (5-5) ripped off the opening nine points of the game and maintained control the rest of the half, enjoying a comfortable 44-20 lead at the halftime intermission. The Lutes (3-5) outscored Chapman 29-25 in the second half but wasn't able to recover from an opening 20 minutes of play that saw the team shoot just 28.5 percent (eight-for-28) from the floor.

"We didn't have the energy or the cohesion we needed to have in the first half to compete with a good team like Chapman," said Head Coach Chad Murray. "I really appreciated and admired how we responded in the second half. I thought we played with a lot of passion and showed some fight. I'm really hoping we learned a valuable lesson that we can take into tomorrow's game."

Leighton Kingma led the charge with 12 points and eight rebounds while Jordan Thomas added 10 points. Kelton Williams netted six points while contributing a team-high four assists.

The Lutes are back on the floor tomorrow at 4 p.m., facing California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.