THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran fought hard and hung with No. 23 La Verne for most of the game, but the Leopards pulled away at the end and defeated the Regals 66-53 on Wednesday night.
The Leopard are the No. 23 team in the D3hoops.com poll. Cal Lutheran's loss brings their overall record to 12-9 and conference record to 6-7. With three games left, the Regals are clinging to the fourth spot in the conference, just one game ahead of Occidental and two in front of Chapman.
The Regals had their chances, but had 23 turnovers compared to the Leopards' 12. La Verne scored 29 points off Cal Lutheran's turnovers while only scoring six of their own. Cal Lutheran did most of its work in the paint and had 30 points in the paint. However, the Regals were 0-16 from three-point range while La Verne was 9-24.
Aliya DiMuro led the charge as she made 11 points and added nine rebounds. She was followed by Grace Godines and Sara Mills, with nine points each. Janna Holley dished out three steals, Karina McMillan had three steals and DiMuro had two blocks.
The Regals started a little rough as the Leopards opened the game with a 6-2 run. The Regals tried to make a comeback, but the leopards dominated the court going up 15-6. The Regals tried to bounce back, but it wasn't enough as the Leopards took the first quarter with a score of 22-12.
The Regals returned with a vengeance as they opened the second quarter with a run. The Regals found their footing and brought the game back to two possessions with a score of 31-25. Despite their attempt, Cal Lutheran was just shy of La Verne at the half with a score of 35-27.
The Regals opened the second half with a bucket, but the Leopards continued their streak, going up 41-29. La Verne only continued to climb as the Regals stayed behind making it 45-36. Then both teams found themselves in a deadlock of nearly three minutes before the Leopards broke through. The Regals tried to close the gap, but La Verne took the third quarter, going up 50-41.
The Regals began the fourth quarter determined to make a comeback. The Leopards continued their pace as the Regals slowly made their way closer at 53-45. Both teams found themselves in another standstill of about three minutes as both defenses held strong before the Leopards broke through, going up by double-digits. Despite the Regals' efforts, the Leopards took the game 66-53.
The Regals' next game will be in Gilbert Arena against Chapman on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 5 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 66, ULV 53
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