LA VERNE - The La Verne Leopards (3-4, 0-1 SCIAC) fell to the Gladiators of Pacifica College (1-7)  tonight, 65-72.

The Leopards exhibited strong play for much of the first half, out shooting the Gladiators 17-9 through the 12th minute.  But at 7:25 Pacifica pulled ahead 26-25 for the first time of the night off two back to back free throws.

Senior guard Ronn See quickly rectified the situation with a two point bucket of his own to retake the lead 27-26.  But after back and forth play, Pacifica tied the game 34-34 at 1:49 left in the first half.  They then took the lead 36-34 with only 1:12 left to play, sending both teams to the locker room with the score Pacifica 39, La Verne 36.

The Gladiators came out of the halftime break with fierce determination and never relinquished the lead. Alex Mendiola of the Gladiators paced Pacifica College with 24 points and 5 rebounds.

Junior center Niall Harrison was the top scorer for the Leopards with 14 points and 7 rebounds.  Seniors Ron See and Brett Stephan contributed 11 points each and combined for 8 rebounds.

The Leopards will next take the floor in La Verne, Calif. when they face off against Milwaukee School of Engineering on December 28th.  Tip off is scheduled for 2 PM.