LA VERNE, Calif. — Cal Lutheran women's basketball went down fighting as the No. 4 Regals were knocked out of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament by top-seeded La Verne 72-57 on Thursday night.
The Regals finished the season with 15 wins and 10 losses and were the No. 4 seed in the SCIAC Tournament with a record of 9-7.
La Verne jumped all over the Cal Lutheran to start the game and scored the first 12 points. The Leopard continued to hold the lead and were up 21-10 with seven minutes left in the half. The Regals made their move over the final minutes before the break. Cal Lutheran went on a 20-9 run over the next few minutes and tied the game at 30-30. La Verne scored the final points of the half and held a 33-30 advantage at the break.
The Leopards made their move in the third quarter and used a big run to take a double-digit lead to the fourth. With 10 minutes to play, La Verne was up 54-42. The Regals fought hard, but the Leopards did not let them back in the game, as they advanced to the SCIAC Tournament Championship.
Sara Mills led the wat with 17 points, going 5-6 from the free throw line. Newcomer of the Year and Second Team All-SCIAC honoree, Janna Holley, was next with 15 points, going an efficient 7-12 from the field. Naomi Gipson was the third Regal with double-digit points and had 12. Karina McMillan came off the bench and scored eight points.
The teams were pretty even when it came to shooting, but turnovers and points off turnovers were the big difference. Le Verne only committed six turnovers and forced Cal Lutheran into 13. The Leopard scored 14 points off turnovers while the Regals only had four.
The Regals had a successful 15-win season, their most wins since the 2017-18 season. Cal Lutheran graduates three, bringing lots of firepower back in 2023-24.
Box Score: ULV 72, CLU 57
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