LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne women's basketball team hosted Whittier College in a SCIAC matchup on Saturday afternoon at home, falling to the Poets 77-60.

The Leopards started the first quarter off strong, going on a 9-0 run powered by three-pointers from Marissa Howell, Jossy Calizo, and Christen Ziska. By the end of the first 10 minutes, La Verne led 26-14 but was outscored 21-9 in the second quarter to tie the score up 35-35 going into halftime.

La Verne quickly regained the lead, and the score remained tight in the third quarter, but Whittier kept their momentum going into the second half of the game, scoring 19 points compared to La Verne's 14 to give them a slim 54-49 lead going into the last 10 minutes of play.

Whittier began to pull away with seven minutes left in the game, increasing their lead by 13 while the Leopards had yet to score again. La Verne struggled, making only 21% of field goals, helping the Poets run away with the lead and win the game 77-60.

Alyssa Smith and Jasmine Prajitno both scored 10 points. Smith also stole nine rebounds while Howell put up nine points and secured seven rebounds. Ziska contributed 13 points while Annie Trinh and Jossy Calizo also added eight points each.

The Poets were led by Rhe Nae Leach, who scored 15 points and Lorita Saloom, who added 21 points. Both players reached double-double territory, with Leach nabbing 12 and Saloom snagging 15. Kristen Lopez also chipped in 17 points.

With the loss, La Verne drops to 2-9 in conference and 5-14 overall. Whittier remains undefeated in SCIAC play and is 16-2 overall.

The Leopards will return to play this Wednesday when they host the Cal Lutheran Regals at 7 p.m.