LA VERNE, Calif. — Victor Costa led the Leopards with 30 points and the University of La Verne men's basketball team got off a shot at the buzzer for a chance to go up by one.
But Cole Currie's three-point attempt went off the mark and the Leopards fell to the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen 79-77 Tuesday night.
Currie nearly had a double-double finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds to go with four assists and a pair of steals.
Connor Head also finished in double figures, dropping 11 points with a three-pointer. The senior also added six rebounds, five assists, one steal, and a block. Costa added six three-pointers, three rebounds, and a steal in his final game as a Leopard.
After falling behind by 13 points early in the second half, the Leopards went on a 14-2 run to cut their deficit to 59-58 with 8:24 left to play.
With just over a minute to play and La Verne down by two, senior Ryan McHenry grabbed a rebound to give the Leopards a chance to tie the game. Costa laid the ball in on the other end to tie the game 77-77.
Austin Cole knocked down a jumper with 17 seconds remaining in the game to put Cal Lutheran up by two.
The Leopards took a timeout with 13 seconds left in regulation to set up their final play. Currie got off a three but just missed.
Alec Vucinich and Evan Gustafson each finished with eight points. Gustafson grabbed seven boards and Vucinich added five of his own.