By Billy Ray Lopez, Sports Information Assistant

LA VERNE — The University of La Verne Leopards dropped a close game to the top-seeded University of Redlands Bulldogs 80-70.

The Leopards started off hot, shooting north of 40% from the field, and knocked down three triples in the first few minutes of the game to give them a 15-6 lead over the Bulldogs. La Verne's blistering shooting began to dissipate, yet they still held on to a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.  

The Bulldogs came out strong in the second quarter led by Angelina Roque who scored 14 first-half points on 6-7 shooting. Roque and the Bulldogs were able to overcome an early nine-point deficit to take the lead at the half 37-33. 

The Leopards came out on a 6-0 run to regain the lead 39-37 and then would go back and forth with the Bulldogs the rest of the third quarter. The Bulldogs would lead 56-54 heading into the last quarter. 

La Verne got within two points of the Redlands but ultimately could not overcome the Bulldogs and Redlands hung on to win it 80-70. The Bulldogs were led by Angelina Roque who scored a game-high 25 points.

La Verne was led offensively by Jaelynn Curley and Casey Kuramoto who each chipped in 16 points. Jazzlyn Johnson added 12 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Kendall Clark-Davis provided a spark for La Verne, scoring a season-high 10 points on 50% shooting from the field. Monica Garcia Silva marked the 5th Leopard to reach double-figures as she scored 10 points and collected 9 rebounds. 

Record

La Verne drops to 10-12 overall and 3-10 in SCIAC. Redlands improves to 16-4 overall and 12-2 in SCIAC.

Next Up

The University of La Verne Leopards will be back in action this Saturday in the Tents against Whittier with tip-off set for 4:00 PM.