A frenzied comeback attempt by the University of La Verne fell just short as Hanover College hung on to defeat the Leopards in a 109-104 shootout Tuesday night at Frantz Athletic Court.
The Leopards trailed the Panthers 93-77 with 7:35 left before mounting a comeback to get within a point in the final minute of play.
The Panthers led 95-82 with 5:47 left until La Verne rallied and pulled to within two on a Lindsey Foster layup with 3:25 remaining to trail the Panthers 98-96.
A free throw from Riki Murakami with 54 seconds cut the Hanover lead to one at 105-104, but the Leopards could not draw even as they were unable to connect on a three-point attempt on consecutive possessions, allowing the Panthers to escape with the victory.
La Verne led 54-49 early in the second half but the Panthers went on a 29-13 run to grab a 78-67 advantage. Hanover would later stretch the lead to 16 points before the Leopards began to chip away.
In defeat, the La Verne managed to reach the 100-point mark for the third consecutive game as they dropped to 4-4 overall. Hanover improved to 6-2.
Courtney Prater led the Panthers in scoring with 18 points with Caitlin Bischoff adding 16.
Amanda Copas led La Verne with 21 points while Kimmie Fung and Lindsey Foster each collected 16 points. Riki Murakami (16) and Emily Myers (15) also reached double figures.
The Leopards will next head to Las Vegas to take part in the D3hoops.com Classic, held Dec. 28-29.
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