LA VERNE, Calif. — The University of La Verne women's water polo team opened the 2018 Convergence Tournament with a pair of games Friday afternoon.
Fresno Pacific 14, La Verne 7
Jasmine Bustamante scored her second hat-trick in as many games and Emily Mena netted two goals in the Leopards' tournament opener.
Mena and Bustamante each scored goals in the opening period to keep the Leopards within one goal of the Sunbirds after the first eight minutes.
Fresno Pacific went on a run in the second quarter, outscoring the Leopards 5-1 in the period to take an 8-3 lead at the break.
Ashley Bennet and Yuri Ujifusa each found the back of the net in the second half but La Verne couldn't pull even.
Ujifusa finished with a game-high three assists. Bustamante and Mena each added a pair of steals. Shelby Garcia recorded nine saves.
McKendree 13, La Verne 9
Bustamante stayed hot in game two leading the Leopards with four goals and Mena finished with another hat-trick as the Leopards battled the Bearcats in their afternoon game.
With La Verne trailing by two midway through the third quarter, Mena and Bustamante nailed back-to-back goals to even the game at seven all. But just as the Leopards seemed to get momentum on their side, the Bearcats responded with a 5-1 run to pull away from La Verne for good.
Freshman Jassmine Kezman scored a pair of goals for La Verne to go with two assists. Victoria Mezack and Bustamante each grabbed a steal.
Jordan Ehara finished with five saves.
The Bearcats were led by Emily Westlove's eight goals.
Next Up: The Leopards conclude the Convergence tournament with a 10:20 a.m match against Villanova, followed by a 2:20 game against Sonoma State.