WHITTIER, CA — The University of La Verne women's basketball team surged in the second quarter and finished the game strong to score a key 70-61 win over the second-place Whittier College Poets Wednesday night.

Season Impact

Wednesday's win was crucial for the Leopards' postseason aspirations. The Leopards move into a tie for fourth place with Pomona-Pitzer with a 6-5 conference mark. La Verne has five SCIAC games remaining including two against third-place Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

The Leopards improve to 13-6 overall, their most wins since the 2013-14 season. The Poets fall to 14-8 overall and 8-4 in the SCIAC.

Stat Leaders

Jazzlyn Johnson had one of her best all-around games this season. The sophomore led La Verne with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. 

Alondra Ponce scored a career-high 16 points off of five three points in the win. The junior added six rebounds and one steal.

Destinee Garcia had an outstanding showing as well. The senior totaled 16 points, seven rebounds three steals, and one assist. Garcia ranks third in the SCIAC with 44 total steals.

Whittier was led by Emily Guerena's 14 points off the bench.

How It Happened

After falling behind by 10 points late in the second quarter, the Leopards came out firing to open the second quarter. La Verne opened the period on an 18-1 run off a pair of threes by Ponce and one three-pointer apiece from Garcia and Johnson to take a 33-24 lead.

Despite the second quarter surge, the Poets battled back and took a 48-47 with just under a minute remaining in the third quarter. Brittany McDaniel put the Leopards back on top with a pair of free throws to give her squad a one-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes. McDaniel finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks. McDaniel ranks second in the SCIAC with two blocks a game.

The Leopards opened the final quarter on an 8-1 run capped by a layup from Dejanee Gill, but the Poets closed the gap quickly to put the game a 57-55 with five and a half minutes left to play. 

La Verne quickly extended their lead off back-to-back makes from beyond the arc by Ponce and Garcia and closed the game on a 13-6 run to seal the win. 

Gill finished with seven points, eight rebounds, three steals, and one assist. 

Next Game

The Leopards have an important match-up this Saturday when they travel to Roberts Pavilion to take on the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas at 7 p.m.