Anisa Salazar
Staff Writer
The women’s basketball team pulled off a 64-56 win against first-place Cal Lutheran on Wednesday at Frantz Athletic Court.
After six straight losses, the Leopards grinded defensively and were driven by their high energy throughout the game to secure the win and finally break the streak.
“We locked in defensively, this is probably our best defensive game yet,” head coach Anthony Mason said. “We were in gaps, we were rebounding, we were talking. I’m so proud of the effort they put forward on the defense today.”
Both teams’ intensity was high from the start. La Verne junior forward Alyssa Smith set the tone early, opening up the game with the first four points. Her teammates matched the energy, putting up two shots from the three-point line. The Leopards ended the quarter in the lead, 17-9.
In the second quarter, Cal Lutheran fought back and went 7-of-13 from the free-throw line, but it was not enough. They still trailed, 32-25.
La Verne sophomore guard Jasmine Prajitno said halftime gave them the opportunity to highlight the mindset they needed to keep to finish out the game strong.
“We told each other, they’re on their heels and don’t really know what to do,” Prajitno said. “We’re exactly where we want to be, keep doing what we’re doing.”
Prajitno put up 15 points against the Regals, six of those coming from the three-point line. The intensity of the Leopards’ defense gave her the momentum to take control.
“I love defense, and so the fact that we were all so locked into defense, I feel like it really gave me energy to execute,” said Prajitno. “We were all sharing the ball and finding each other. Their energy helped me keep going.”
Entering the second half, Cal Lutheran showed grit and fought to narrow the deficit to just three points, but the Leopards’ offense stayed dominant and was able to widen the gap once again to start the final quarter at 46-34.
Dealing with multiple player injuries throughout the season and having only about seven players since returning from break has made it difficult for the Leopards to execute winning games. Junior guard Bella Musolff said that coming out on top against Cal Lutheran just proves how much fight they have, regardless of the circumstances.
“It feels really good,” Musolff said. “I think we have gone through so much adversity this year, with injuries, people out, and having to adjust on the spot. I think that tonight we really showed what we can do with even just seven players.”
Despite the challenges La Verne has dealt with this season, they have continued to stay confident in their strengths and ability to win.
“We had the energy already, and so we know we just needed to execute offensively,” sophomore center Maya Sanborn said.
Neither team was afraid to show its determination to take the game. Both teams gave in to physical competitiveness, with a combined 19 free throws in the final quarter. But Cal Lutheran’s attempts to come back were not enough to counter the intensity from the Leopards, closing the game out at 64-56.
Leading into the last couple of games, the Leopards hope to continue this momentum.
“We’ve already been out-efforting teams and now we finally out-executed one, that’s our plan for these last three games to set us up for next year,” said Mason.
Next up, the women’s basketball team will be traveling to play Chapman at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Anisa Salazar can be reached at anisa.salazar@laverne.edu.
Anisa Salazar is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is sports editor, social media editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times. She previously served as a staff writer.
Jesse Juarez is a senior photography major and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. A camera has been a very powerful tool and a vessel of expression for him. While originally focused on portraits and fashion photography, his work is continuously evolving. His other work can be found at jessejxo199x.edublogs.org.
