THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran led for nearly the entire contest, but faltered on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter and overtime as La Verne managed to sneak past the Regals with a 92-89 victory, Wednesday evening inside Gilbert Arena.
The Regals (6-10, 3-4 SCIAC) scored the most points (89) they have scored in any game this season and were very efficient shooting the basketball, going 33-73 from the floor and 17-20 (85%) from the free-throw line. Seven Regals finished in double figures which is a season high for the squad.
The Leopards (11-4, 4-3 SCIAC) dominated the offensive glass with 29 offensive rebounds while out-rebounding CLU 60-46 overall on the night. LV racked up 27 second-chance points which would prove to be the difference.
Haley Tyrell led Cal Lutheran with 16 points and 14 rebounds in what was her best performance of the season. The sophomore also dished out four assists while going 8-12 from the floor. Mackenzy Iwahashi poured in 14 points with five rebounds and four assists in the contest. Jozie Tangeman scored 13 points and made six of her eight foul shots. Taylor Oshiro and Jade Jordan each contributed 12 points while Cameron Mallory chipped in with 11 points and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Despite surrendering a 4-0 run to the visitors to open the game, the Regals fought back to make the score 15-9 before the whistle blew for the media timeout in the first quarter. Back-to-back three-pointers from Iwahashi and Tangeman would get the hosts going offensively. Natalie Ruhl hit a deep shot from beyond the arc to extend the lead to seven points, but La Verne would rally to make the score 20-16 at the end of the first period.
The Leopards managed to regain the lead in the second quarter but CLU put together a 6-0 run to find some momentum. A three-pointer from Mallory gave the Regals some confidence towards the end of the half as they went into the break leading 43-35.
Tyrell took charge in the third quarter, making back-to-back layups to begin the new half. Mallory and Ruhl hit a pair of threes and suddenly the Regals were up by 13 points. The Leopards would hang around, trading baskets with Cal Lutheran to stay within striking distance. The Regals would lead by as many as 15 in the third quarter but their opponents would cut that lead down to nine points (71-62) heading into the final 10 minutes.
The teams would trade baskets for the first six minutes of the quarter as CLU kept a 10-point lead. But a large scoring drought would plague the Regals for the final 4:24 of regulation, allowing La Verne to use isolations to their advantage on the offensive end. With many Regals in foul trouble, CLU struggled to keep Leopards out of the lane when driving to the goal. Effective drives to the basket coupled with Cal Lutheran's deficiencies on the offensive boards, LV managed to tie the game 82-82 and send the game to overtime.
The scoring drought continued into the overtime period as the Regals did not score for two and a half minutes and La Verne built a five-point advantage. CLU clawed within one, but some good free-throw shooting from the visitors down the stretch would allow them to scrape out a gritty 92-89 win on the road.
Cal Lutheran looks to rebound in conference play when they host Whittier Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. inside Gilbert Arena.
Box Score: CLU 89, LV 92 (OT)
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Release by Jeff Rebello, Assistant Sports Information Director
