A second half scoring drought proved costly for the University of La Verne as it dropped a 58-49 home decision to Pomona-Pitzer in SCIAC men's basketball action Saturday evening at Frantz Athletic Court.
The rim was unkind to the Leopards after intermission as they went without a field goal during a 10 minute stretch and were limited to just 15 points over the final 20 minutes.
La Verne (1-4, 0-3 SCIAC) led 34-27 at the half as they closed with 13-3 run over the final 5:53 before the break. A Jourdan Simmonds three-pointer gave La Verne its first lead of the game at 26-24 at the 4:30 mark of the opening frame.
The Leos extended their advantage on a basket and a pair of free throws from Vieth for a 32-27 advantage. A basket from Vince Bauer with 12 seconds remaining propelled La Verne to a seven-point halftime advantage.
The Sagehens opened the second half with a 6-0 run to pull within a point at 34-33.
A field goal from Pomona-Pitzer's Xavyr Moss tied the game at 38, but a basket and free throw by Paul Titchener gave the put the Leos back on top at 41-38 with 12:26 remaining.
Pomona-Pitzer (6-2, 3-1) would then proceed to outscore the Leopards 14-1 over the next 10 minutes to grab a 52-42 lead before a layup by Jake Vieth with 2:14 to play closed the margin to eight points.
The Sagehens however would turn back the Leopards as they eventually pushed their lead to 14 points in the final minute on their way to victory.
Kyle McAndrews led all scorers with 16 points with Sagehen teammate Moss adding 8 points. Vieth paced the Leopards with 13 points and was followed by Simmonds with 10 points.
La Verne will next be in action on Thursday as it travels to Las Vegas to take on Runnin' Rebels of UNLV, the nation's 18th-ranked team in the latest USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, at The Orleans Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
