WHITTIER, CA — Alyssa Smith sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to send La Verne to overtime, and the Leopards finally pulled away in double overtime to earn an important win at Whittier College Wednesday night.

The win moves the Leopards (10-3 SCIAC) into a tie for first place in the SCIAC with Cal Lutheran (10-3 SCIAC), which picked up a win over previous conference leader Occidental. The Tigers (10-4 SCIAC) move to second place, just a half-game behind the Leopards and Regals. The victory finally begins to place some distance from Whittier (8-5 SCIAC), which beat the Leopards 56-55 earlier this season.

"That's a huge win for us. We have been in close games before, so we are battle-tested. They know what to do. We did a good job of not panicking and trusting in the team," said La Verne women's basketball head coach Anthony Mason.

The Leopards entered the second half with a nine-point lead, but the Poets quickly erased the deficit, going on a 16-4 run to take a 41-40 lead.

The Poets held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter when both teams struggled to find answers offensively. The squads combined for just five field goals in the last 10 minutes of regulation, but the last one was the biggest of the game.

With the Poets leading by one with possession, the Leopards fouled Rhe Nae Leach to send her to the line with 2.4 seconds to play. Leach made both free throws to give her squad a 52-49 advantage.

After a timeout, Naomi Jackson set up to inbound and found Smith, who took a dribble to her right and, with a defender in her face, launched a shot that banked in to even the game.

Neither team could get a significant edge in the first overtime period. Brianna Torres sank a three to put La Verne by three with 2:01 remaining, but a pair of free throws by Nae Leach evened the to force another extra period.

The Leopards took over in double overtime, outscored the Poets 11-4, and sealed the game with free throws by Jackson and Torres to come away with the win.

Chiara Brown had another big night and earned her 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with six assists and a steal,

Torres added 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Marissa Howell drained four three-pointers and finished with 12 points. Smith grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and added nine points.

The Leopards head on the road this Saturday to Redlands for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Bulldogs.