LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne women's basketball team took on Life Pacific Tuesday night and held off the Warriors for a 75-73 win.

La Verne improves to 2-0 after a thrilling win against Rose-Hulman in the Leopards season opener. 

Chiara Brown led the Leopards with a team-high 19 points despite sitting for most of the first quarter. She also led La Verne with eight rebounds and added three assists, one block, and one steal.

Marissa Howell got hot from behind the arc, knocking down six three-pointers to finish with 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Alyssa Smith and Brianna Torres also finished in double figures. Smith finished with 12 points, a game-high six assists, five rebounds, and a steal. Torres drained a pair of threes and finished with 11 points, two rebounds, and an assist.

The Leopards were stunned by the Warriors hitting multiple three-pointers early, shooting nearly 50 percent from distance in the first half. Brown picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and had to head to the bench early. Despite her absence for the remainder of the quarter, the  Leopards hung strong in the paint with the help of Kristal Sullivan and Aatilah Watkins.

After a slow start, the Leopards got hot, shooting 53 percent from the field in the second quarter to go in the half down by just three, 34-37.

The second half went the Leopards' way. Brown was a force inside, leading the charge with 10 points over the final 20 minutes. 

The Leopards held a five-point lead with just over a minute left in the game, but the Warriors made things interesting. Rachel Spinosa made two free throws, and Faith Schwantner added a layup to cut La Verne's lead to 72-71 with 47 seconds left to play.

Torres helped seal the win for the Leopards, knocking down a long two to put La Verne back up by three. Schwantner came up big again for Life Pacific, scoring two more free throws with 10 seconds to play. But Torres added another free throw, and the Leopards held on for the win. 

Spinosa led the Warriors with 22 points, and Schwantner scored 20 points. 

The Leopards finished the game with 11 three-points. Naomi Jackson, Te' Limon, and Smith each knocked down a shot from from distance.

La Verne goes into Thanksgiving break with two games in two days. The Leopards will travel to Hope International University for a 3 p.m. game tomorrow, Wednesday, November 22.