ORANGE (Interstat) — Chapman used a dominant first quarter and a balanced offense to defeat visiting Stanton 69-52 in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game Sunday at Harold Hutton Sports Center. The Panthers improved to 2-0 while Stanton, a non-divisional opponent, fell behind early and could not close the gap.

The Panthers set the tone in the opening quarter, scoring 22 points while holding Stanton to eight. Stanton scored 15 points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, 15 in the third and eight in the fourth. Makena Nitao opened Chapman’s scoring with a jump shot at 8:03, Kira Watanabe hit a 3-pointer, and Maile Nakaji added two 3-pointers in the period. Olivia Reynolds closed the first-quarter scoring with a jump shot at 7.5 seconds, giving Chapman a 22-8 lead. Stanton got free throws and a tip-in from Kuir Gayo but struggled to match Chapman’s pace.

Chapman extended its lead in the second quarter. Watanabe made another 3-pointer, Jemma Lacap made a free throw, and Sydney Teoh made a layup as the Panthers moved ahead 28-11. Stanton answered with 3-pointers from Sophia Laurel, Samantha Ballatyne and Anni Heikkila, but Chapman got late baskets from Emerson Ludwick, Hanna Harvey and Reynolds to take a 36-23 lead into halftime. Reynolds made two free throws with 17.8 seconds left in the half, and Ballatyne made a layup just before the break.

Stanton opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer from Nicole Ros and cut the deficit to 38-30 on Alana Conner’s layup. Chapman responded with consecutive 3-pointers from Nakaji, pushing the lead to 44-30. Conner stayed active for Stanton with two more baskets, and Valerie Van Dik made layups, but Reynolds scored two late layups and a free throw to help Chapman carry a 49-37 lead into the fourth quarter.

Chapman put the game away in the fourth. Teoh made a layup, Nitao hit a 3-pointer, and Nakaji made a jump shot as the Panthers moved ahead 60-45. Stanton got a 3-pointer from Laurel and a layup from Aiyniah Pritchet, but Harvey made two layups and two free throws down the stretch to keep Chapman in control. Lacap added a free throw, and Chapman finished with a 69-52 victory. The Panthers scored 32 points in the paint and converted 36 points off turnovers while committing 18 turnovers. Chapman had 18 offensive rebounds and 28 assists. Stanton scored 28 points in the paint and 14 points off turnovers. Chapman scored 69 points from 76 possessions and posted an offensive rating of 90.6. Stanton’s fourth-quarter total of eight points came after it had scored at least 14 in each of the first three quarters.

Reynolds led Chapman with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. Harvey added 12 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. Nitao had seven points and five assists in 29 minutes. Teoh scored nine points in 19 minutes. Watanabe contributed six points, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Ludwick scored six points in 18 minutes. Nakaji added 14 points in 32 minutes. Lacap had four rebounds in 22 minutes. Ciara Lu did not record any minutes on the court, and Andi Martinez, a 5-foot-7 guard from Newport Beach, Calif., who previously played at Pacifica Christian, played two minutes.

Chapman returns to action at Caltech in its next game. The Panthers previously beat Sewanee 72-66 and are now 2-0 this season. Stanton fell in the non-divisional matchup and will continue its schedule after the road loss. The Panthers led throughout the entire second half and never trailed after the first quarter.