Women's Basketball surges past Regals in 4th

THOUSAND OAKS, CA — Jazzlyn Johnson and Monica Garcia Silva combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter and the University of La Verne women's basketball team pulled away midway through the final period to earn a big 87-77 road win over Cal Lutheran Wednesday night.

Season Impact

With the win, the Leopards move into a three-way tie for fourth place in the SCIAC with Whittier and the Regals. La Verne improves to 9-7 overall and 4-4 in SCIAC play. Cal Lutheran falls to 7-10 overall and 4-4 in the SCIAC.

Tied 70-70 with 7:16 left to play, the Leopard went on a run sparked by a block by Garcia Silva in the low post and then capped off on the other end by a Clarissa Perez to Garcia Silva connection. Garcia Silva continued to light it up for the Leopards, adding a contested layup on La Verne's next trip down the court, picking up the foul, and finishing the and-one at the line.

Perez and Johnson each added buckets of their own during the stretch to help the Leopards pull away for good.

Garcia Silva led all players with 22 points moving into the top spot in the SCIAC with 18.5 points per game. The junior finished with her fifth double-double of the season grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds in the win. She also added two blocks, two assists, and two steals.

Torrance native Bailey Kurahashi had a solid game, totaling 14 points and two rebounds, her third straight game in double figures. Johnson did her job driving and picking up fouls. The point guard finished with 13 points, six of them coming at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, and added five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

Perez also finished in double figures, adding 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal in the win. Hannah Rogers had a big impact off the bench scoring eight points and grabbing two boards. Twelve different Leopards scored in the game.

The Regals were led by Natalie Ruhl 16 points and Kailee Yan 13 points.

Next Game

The Leopards return home on Saturday when they face the Redlands Bulldogs and 2 p.m. in The Tents.