A three-pointer from senior guard Mayra Duenas with 1:40 left in the game put La Verne up 66-63 over Elmhurst College en route to a 69-66 win over the Blue Jays at the Cal Lutheran Thanksgiving Classic Saturday in Thousand Oaks.
The win was the Leopards' first victory of the season and first win for Matt Rogers as Leopard head coach.
La Verne (1-2) trailed Emhurst 35-27 at the half and were down 12 points (39-27) early in the second half before going on a 13-4 run to trail by three at 43-40 with 15 minutes left. The Leopards took their first lead of the game on a Duenas three-pointer at the 9:42 mark to take a 50-49 advantage.
The Leos went up by five points at 59-54 before the Blue Jays would score five unanswered to knot the score at 59-59. Tied at 63-63, Duenas would nail the three-pointer that put La Verne up for good. Amanda Copas added three free throws during the final stages to seal the win.
The second half rally by the Leopards was sparked by seven three-point baskets after intermission. La Verne tallied nine treys overall.
Ashley Paul led all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting including four three-pointers. Copas added 15 points while Duenas contributed 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds to post a double-double in the victory. Emily Carrillo collected 9 points and 8 rebounds. Megan Ney and Monroe Kelsey each totaled 15 points for the Blue Jays, who fell to 1-4 on the season.
Paul was named to the CLU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team for her performance in the two weekend games.
La Verne continues action next weekend against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs next Friday in Santa Cruz.
