CLAREMONT, Calif. — The University of La Verne men's water polo team came out with a strong defensive effort against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps but could not sustain the effort in a 12-6 loss on Sunday at Axelrood Aquatics Center.

The Stags were coming off a big road win against NCAA Division I Loyola Marymount on Friday and the Leopards hung tough in the early going. Alex Waggoner scored just 49 seconds into the game for CMS, but Rex Sample converted a penalty shot to tie the game at 1-1 and held the Stags to two goals in the first quarter.

Joshua Vega drilled one from about five meters out in the opening seconds of the second quarter to tie it back up but CMS scored three unanswered goals to put some daylight between the two teams and never looked back.

Tyler Bennett scored from point-blank range with 25 seconds left in the first half and Guillermo Ocasio and Guillermo Ocasio hit one from outside midway through the third quarter to keep the Leopards within two. But the Stags, aided by effective transition offense, rattled off a 4-0 run to take a 10-4 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Leopards are back in action against Cal Lutheran on Wednesday.