The University of La Verne could not overcome a season-high 26 turnovers in falling to Concordia University (WI) by a 66-59 verdict in men's basketball action Monday night at Frantz Athletic Court.
The Leopards were defeated despite holding a sizeable 41-26 rebounding edge over the visiting Falcons. Concordia (9-2) countered the Leos by collecting 14 steals on the night while also connecting on 14 of their 18 free throw attempts.
The Falcons led by as many as nine points in the second half before the Leopards closed the gap in the final minutes. A layup by John Leggett with 1:57 remaining helped La Verne get within two points at 59-57. That would be as close as the Leos would get, however, as Concordia scored on its next five possessions to eventually come away with the win.
The Leopards, who trailed the Falcons 33-29 at intermission, committed 17 turnovers in the first half though they out-rebounded their opponent 18-8 in the first 30 minutes of the contest.
La Verne (5-6) led during the opening minutes of the game, enjoying its largest lead of five points when a three-pointer from Jonathan Bastos put the Leos up 11-6 with 14:49 remaining in the first stanza. The prosperity was short-lived as the Falcons proceeded on a 17-2 run to grab their largest lead of the contest at 23-13 with 8:23 left in the first half.
The Falcons continued to lead throughout the second half despite shooting 36.7% after intermission. La Verne however was hampered by its own offensive struggles as it registered a single field goal during a seven-minute span.
La Verne had just four attempts from the free throw line, finishing a perfect 4-4.
Concordia's Mitchell Schneider and Luke Doedens combined for six three-point field goals against the Leopards. Schneider led all scorers with 19 points while Coy Stark collected a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Austin Napolitano led La Verne in scoring with 14 points while also contributing 5 rebounds. Bastos totaled 13 points and 5 boards with Trevor Woodland contributing 10 points. Leggett added 9 points and 7 rebounds for the Leos.
Monday's game with Concordia served as the Leopards' final non-conference game of the regular season. La Verne will commence SCIAC action on Saturday when it plays host to Whittier for a 7:30 pm tip-off.
