By Joe Perrino, Sports Information Assistant

CLAREMONT — An early lead fell short for the La Verne Leopards on Saturday, Jan. 22 against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in the Leos 66-58 loss.

The Leopards jumped out to a 35-33 lead heading into the locker room at half time. Jaelynn Curley was on fire from deep, hitting two threes in the quarter, and scoring 10 of her 14 points in the first half.

As the game progressed, the Leos weren't able to sustain the initial momentum.  The squad shot only 33% from the floor in the third quarter, and 0% from long range. The fourth saw much of the same when only eight points found their mark.

The Leos were led in scoring by Jazzlyn Johnson, who finished with 16 points. Curley and Kayla Rubio also found themselves in double digits, with Rubio posting 12 points and seven rebounds at the center position.

Chasey Santos also contributed on the glass off of the bench. The forward grabbed eight rebounds and scored four points in her 30 minutes on the floor — the most of the season for the senior.

La Verne now sits at a 9-7 overall record, and sixth place in the SCIAC with a 2-6 conference record. Pomona-Pitzer moves to second place in the conference at 9-6 and 7-2.

The Leos will host Cal Lutheran on Wednesday, Jan. 26 in The Tents.