By Joe Perrino, Sports Information Assistant

THOUSAND OAKS — The Leos travelled to Cal Lutheran on Monday, Feb. 7 and fell to the Regals 89-66.

La Verne kept the game close throughout the first half of the contest with the team trailing just seven heading into the locker room. However, a poor third quarter left the Leopards down 69-45 to start the final frame.

The narrow first half deficit came despite a poor first quarter performance — 23-11 to open the frame — as the Leos came back firing to win the second quarter 19-14.

Monica Garcia-Silva opened the game scoring nine quick points on 2-5 shooting and a perfect 5-5 from the line in the first two quarters. 

On top of Garcia-Silva's early success, Milan McGary continues to show improvement as the Leos' season progresses.

The junior transfer finished with 13 points on 6-11 shooting, one of her best performances of the year. This showing comes after her best game of the season on Feb. 5 against UC Santa Cruz, when the guard finished with 14 points, a career high, on 6-10 shooting. She was also the second leading scorer in that weekend's home contest.

The Leos with the loss now fall to 10-11 overall and 3-9 in SCIAC. The Regals move to 6-12 and 4-8. 

This loss plays big implications in the postseason picture as the Leos now fall to the eighth seed in the SCIAC, meaning they will need to finish ahead of Occidental — the only team below them — to qualify for the playoffs.

The next game will feature La Verne taking on Redlands, the top-ranked team in the SCIAC, at The Tents on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.