LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne women's basketball team faced off against Cal Lutheran in a SCIAC matchup on Wednesday night, falling 64-51.

La Verne showed fight in the fourth quarter, clawing back with a 12-0 run powered by back-to-back three-pointers from Annie Trinh and Marissa Howell. The Leopards cut the deficit to 60-47, but time wasn't on their side as Cal Lutheran held on for the victory.
Howell led the Leopards with 18 points while Alyssa Smith and Christen Ziska added eight points each. Smith also stole nine rebounds. Trinh contributed seven points.
The game started tight with eight lead changes within the first ten minutes, but the Regals began to pull away with the lead, leading the game 26-14 at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams slowed down offensively in the second quarter, with Cal Lutheran edging La Verne 10-7 in scoring. The Leopards went into halftime trailing 36-21, looking to regroup in the second half.

Cal Lutheran's momentum remained strong in the third quarter, scoring 20 points compared to La Verne's 14. The Regals' defense shined, holding La Verne to only two points in the last five minutes of the quarter, extending their lead 56-35.

Alline Ballard led Cal Lutheran with a double-double territory with her 14 points and 16 rebounds. Janna Holley also put up 14 points while Aliya DiMuro added 12 points.

With the loss, La Verne drops to 2-10 in conference play and 5-15 overall. Cal Lutheran improves to 7-4 in SCIAC play and 15-5 overall.

The Leopards will return to play this Saturday when they host the Occidental College Tigers at 2 p.m.