LA VERNE, CA — Jazzlyn Johnson led all scorers, Dejanee Gill finished with her second career double-double but it wasn't enough as the University of La Verne women's basketball team fell Cal Lutheran 77-70.

Season Impact

With the result, the Leopards fall to 13-8 overall and 6-7 in SCIAC action. The Regals improve to 10-12 and 7-7. The Leopards' postseason chances take a hit following Wednesday's result. La Verne moves into sixth place in the conference and is currently two games out of postseason contention with three SCIAC games remaining. 

Johnson finished with 25 points off four three-pointers to go with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Gill finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with a career-high seven assists with one block and one steal. 

After trailing by double-digits early, the Leopards gave themselves a chance to pull off a comeback. With 1:59 left on the clock, Johnson drilled a three-pointer to make it a 71-69 game. But the Leopards couldn't connect on any more attempts to close out the game and Cal Lutheran made clutch free throws to seal the win.

Brittany McDaniel and Destinee Garcia made big defensive contributions. McDaniel grabbed nine rebounds off the bench including eight off the defensive glass, blocked three shots and seized two steals to go with six points. Garcia totaled four steals, six rebounds, one block, and seven points. 

Alondra Ponce nearly added a double-double finishing with 10 rebounds and eight points to go with two assists and a block.

The Regals' Cameron Mallory created issues for the Leopards, dropping 6-8 three-point attempts to lead her squad with 24 points and nine rebounds. Mackenzy Iwashashi finished with 15 points.

Next Game

La Verne returns to action this Saturday when they host Chapman at 4 p.m. Saturday will be a Whiteout for the Leopards.