By Nate Rodriguez, Sports Information Intern

LA VERNE – A back-and-forth battle between the two teams at the polar ends of the SCIAC resulted in a 76-70 loss for the University of La Verne men's basketball team, when they hosted the Claremont Mudd-Scripps Stags for a midweek matchup to start February play.

The Leopards won the first half 33-31, and trumped the Stags by 12 points with four minutes remaining before the break until CMS caught fire quickly. A trio of three pointers from senior guard Isaiah Knox and junior guards Alex Blanco and Paul Antonis pushed La Verne's lead to 18-12, plus six points after that mark from junior forward Seth Shaw had the Leopards eclipsing 30 total points with a few minutes left in the first.

The Stags trailed La Verne nearly halfway through the second half until they leveraged the score with eleven minutes left to play. The Leopards shot the ball well throughout the night to stay paced with SCIAC's first place team, keeping the game within single digits despite trailing by nine as nervous time approached. Shaw showed out in the second half with a team-leading eight points, and Blanco provided great support with eight points highlighted by two clutch shots from downtown.

Shaw recorded his sixth double-double of the 2021-22 campaign, leading the Leos with 18 points and eleven rebounds. Coming off the bench, Blanco managed to drop 16 and pick up six boards of his own. Antonis scored 13 points going 5-11 from the field while Knox tallied 10 on 4-9; the duo combined for ten Leopards' boards.

The Leopards will have time to rest this weekend before going to battle against the California Lutheran University Kingsmen on Monday night, Feb. 7 underneath The Tents.