The University of La Verne took advantage of a strong first half effort against Whittier College by opening a 20-point halftime advantage, cruising to a 83-67 home triumph over the Poets in SCIAC women's basketball action Thursday night at Frantz Athletic Court.
La Verne (5-13, 3-4 SCIAC) shot 51.5% from the field in the opening frame while holding Whittier to 34.4% to grab a 45-25 lead at the half.
Whittier took an early 8-4 lead before the Leos ran off seven straight points culminating on a Mia Roseboro three-pointer to grab an 11-8 advantage.
The contest was tied at 19 when the Leopards took the lead for good on a lauyp from Riki Murakami to start a 10-0 run for a 29-19 cushion. Leading 32-25 with 5:22 remaining, the Leos closed the half with a 13-0 run to take a 20-point lead into halftime.
The Leopards maintained their margin early in the second half and broke the game open with a spurt of 14-2 to lead 64-38 with 11:28 remaining. From there, La Verne cruised to victory as it surpassed the 80-point plateau for the third consecutive contest.
La Verne finished 8-24 from three-point range and was held below its 9.9 average which ranked No. 2 nationally in Division III. The Leos compensated by shooting 47.5% overall from the field while also outrebounding the Poets 42-31 in the contest.
Megan Musashi totaled a game-high 22 points for the Leos, finishing 6-10 from the field while connecting on all eight of her free throw attempts. Kelly Kika added 15 points in the win. Roseboro scored 9 points with Tyne McClure and Kirsten Hurd adding 7 points each.
Brittany Aranda tallied a team-high 19 points for the Poets, who dropped to 5-13 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
The Leopards continue action on the road this Saturday at Redlands in a 5 pm tip off.
