Chapman Closed Down, Falls to Sixth : Basketball: Cal State Dominguez wins, 53-48. It’s the Panthers’ lowest point total of season.

ORANGE —  Cal State Dominguez Hills, playing the kind of tight, man-to-man defense that can stop opponents cold, shut down Chapman in the second half Saturday and won a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game, 53-48, at Hutton Center.

It was a costly loss for the Panthers (12-10, 2-5), who slipped into sixth in the CCAA. With five games remaining--three on the road--the Panthers are two games out of fourth and in danger of missing the four-team CCAA playoffs.

Dominguez (14-8, 3-4) held the Panthers to their lowest point total of the season.

Friday night at Dominguez, Chapman took a 17-point halftime lead and hung on for a 67-60 victory.

There was no such bulge to fall back on Saturday. Although the Panthers shot 67% in the first half, to the Toros’ 40%, they led by only 30-25 largely because of 15 turnovers.

The turnovers--the Panthers had 22 in the game--resulted from a combination of a Dominguez Hills defense that gives new meaning to in-your-shirt and Chapman sloppiness.

“I thought the physical-ness of the game hurt our team,” Chapman Coach Bob Boyd said. “Our team isn’t going to be at its best when that kind of physical-ness is allowed.”

Chapman, which shot only 37% in the second half (51% for the game) lost its lead in a hurry. Dominguez scored the first 11 points of the second half and led, 36-30, on two free throws by Robert Barksdale with 15 minutes 6 seconds remaining.

Barksdale’s free throws came after a technical foul charged to Rog Middleton, who had argued with the referee over an offensive foul call.

With Middleton (who scored a season-low three points) on the bench, Chapman battled back to tie the score, 40-40, on a turn-around jumper by Zlatko Josic with 9:38 remaining.

But Dominguez took control at that point. And after Barksdale (12 points) made two consecutive shots, the second a three-pointer, a one-point lead had become six, 51-45.

Al Jackson made a free throw, and Josic made a steal and a layup to pull the Panthers within three, and they had a chance to pull closer after a Dominguez turnover. But with 17 seconds left, Jackson threw it away while trying to pass inside to Middleton.

Andre Hill scored a season-high 22 points for the Panthers, 18 of them on seven-of-eight shooting in the first half.