Miguel Navarro
Staff Writer
The La Verne Leopards lost, 77-61, to the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs on Saturday at Frantz Athletic Court.
The Leopards are coming off back-to-back Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic conference Championships and entered play with a 1-1 record.
“We’re gonna talk about the idea that we have the energy, so now we just have to put our focus on some specific areas,” head coach Anthony Mason said. “We’re right there to turn that corner and make this go our way.”
From the start of the game, both sides brought intensity to their offensive and defensive efforts.
Early on, Santa Cruz took advantage of costly turnovers from La Verne, which led to easy fastbreak points.
This momentum fueled their fast-paced play on offense as they scored quickly on their possessions.
After the first quarter, La Verne trailed, 28-14, allowing UC Santa Cruz to shoot over 60 percent from the field and over 50 percent from three.
Throughout the game, La Verne struggled to secure rebounds, allowing Santa Cruz to create more chances on offense.
La Verne was outrebounded, 37-28.
“We have got to look at our boxing out and our rebounding more,” Mason said. “We need to really look at attacking those things and how we can own the boards a little better.”
The game shifted into the second quarter, and the Leopards came out in a full-court press to put pressure on Santa Cruz.
As a result, the Leopards forced six turnovers and kept the game close.
In the quarter, the Leopards struggled from the field, only shooting 30 percent and failing to sink a three-point shot in five attempts.
“Just continue working on our shot making, we are getting some good looks,” Mason said. “We have confidence that we’re good shooters, so they’re going to start to fall.”
Going into the second half, the Leopards found a new sense of energy, cutting into the deficit.
The Leopards used substitutions, allowing their bench to give the Santa Cruz defense different looks.
The Leopards cut the lead down to single digits, 41-32, for the first time since the first quarter.
A key catalyst for the comeback was junior guard Bella Musolff, who continued to get her teammates involved, finishing with three assists in the game.
“We’re still finding out how we can all trust each other and work together,” Musolff said. “When you have a confident point guard or just someone that’s leading the team that really sets the tone.”
Entering the fourth quarter, the Leopards’ comeback attempts were short-lived as Santa Cruz began to separate themselves on the scoreboard.
After allowing an 8-0 run, the Leopards trailed by 23, which was their largest deficit of the game.
As the time wound down, the Leopards were handed their second loss of the season, 77-61.
“We’re not executing, and that’s really it,” sophomore guard Jasmine Prajitno said. “We have one or two good possessions and then it’ll go bad, so it’s also a consistent thing.”
Others used the game to find positive takeaways.
“I think we’re gonna be great this year,” junior guard Kaylee Shimoda said. “Right now we’re on a low, but we’re going to pick it up for Monday’s game and the rest of the games during conference.”
The Leopards faced Mary-Hardin Baylor at home Monday, losing, 78-65.
The Leopards are currently 1-3 overall. They will play Nelson at 2 p.m. Saturday at Frantz Athletic Court.
Miguel Navarro can be reached at miguel.navarro@laverne.edu.
Miguel Navarro is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and is a staff writer for the Campus Times. He also serves as a broadcaster at the University of La Verne, and he hopes to one day work in sports media.
Bajot Rathor is a senior organizational management major with a concentration in leadership and management, along with minors in photography and American law. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
