LA VERNE, CA — Three Leopards finished in double-digits but the University of La Verne men's basketball team couldn't close the gap late, falling to the Mount St. Vincent Dolphins 72-65.
Sinai Enoch led the Leopards with 14 points, three three-pointers, four assists, and a rebound. Seth Shaw went a perfect 5-5 from the field to finish with 11 points and two rebounds.
With 3:42 left in the game, Jarid Taylor cut the Dolphins' lead to just six points when he pulled up for a 19 footer to get the Leopards to within striking distance. A couple of possessions later Enoch made a three to cut the deficit to just five points.
On Mount St. Vincent's ensuing possession, the Leopards had an opportunity to make it a one-possession game when they forced a Dolphin turnover. But La Verne couldn't translate the turnover into points, missing on the three-point attempt.
Enoch gave the Leopards one final chance late when he knocked down his third three-pointer with 28 seconds left to play. But Mount St. Vincent made three more free throws to put the game away.
Taylor nearly notched a double-double, totaling 10 points, eight rebounds, and an assist. Jordan Allen grabbed a game-high 11 boards to go with five points and two assists.
Mount St. Vincent was led by Raiquis Harris' 20 points and six rebounds.
The Dolphins jumped out to an early nine-point lead when Mamadou Mariko laid a shot in off the glass to put his squad up 15-4 just under five and a half minutes into the game.
Isaiah Knox gave the Leopards some life a few minutes later when sank a three-pointer to get La Verne to within eight points of the Dolphins' lead. The Leopards kept the momentum rolling with Paul Antonis sinking a corner three and Shaw making a short jumper to put the score a 19-16.
The Dolphins responded with a 14-5 run to retake control of the game with a 33-23 lead.
Tevin McClain got the Leopards back to within single digits late in the first half when he scored in transition and Trevor Andresen added a three on the Leopards' following possession to get La Verne to within eight. But Makai Johnson sank a half-court shot at time expired to give the Dolphins the 43-32 halftime lead.
The Leopards made five first-half three-pointers and had several more great looks from beyond the arc in the first half but couldn't get most of them to fall.
La Verne got off to a 6-0 run to start the second half highlighted by a four-point play by Enoch, who sank a three and made the and-one.
Season Impact
The Leopards fall to 0-5 overall and the Dolphins improve to 1-4.
Next Game
The Leopards open SCIAC play their next time out when they travel to Whittier on December, 4 for a 5 p.m. game against the Poets.
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