With the young season now in full stride, the University of La Verne men’s basketball team opened with a 2-2 record after splitting two games during thanksgiving break against top-notch teams at the Masters Tournament in Santa Clarita.
The Leopards defeated Atlanta Christian (Ga), 97-88, to salvage a split in the tournament. Rebounding with a strong performance from their last outing, the Leopards were sparked by junior guard Jason Greenlee, who scored 22 points in the win.
Big games were also turned in by Marc Holmquist, Jake Franzen and Victor Reynolds who each scored 12 points apiece with Franzen grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds for the double-double.
In the game, the Leopards shot 45 percent from the field while making 71 percent of their free throw attempts.
“They have a real good team,” head coach Gabe Duran said. “We let up a little bit defensively but overall we played a great game, in the other as well.”
The Leopards led 46-38 at the break nearly letting the game slip away allowing Atlanta Christian to shoot 63 percent from the field and stealing the victory.
Over-matched was the phrase as the Leopards suffered a 104-74 defeat at the hands of tournament host The Masters College, a top ranked NAIA team in the first game of the tournament.
Hurting the Leopards chances was their shooting troubles.
The Leopards shot a low 37 percent from the field and couldn’t figure out the defense, while allowing the Mustangs to shoot 50 percent and almost score at will.
“They were definitely a huge challenge,” Greenlee said. “But I think if we would have eliminated a lot of turnovers the game would have been a lot different.”
Once again the Leopards were led by the trio of Franzen, Holmquist and Greenlee.
Franzen scored a team-high 17 points, while Holmquist and Greenlee each scored 13 points for the Leopards.
ULV continues action in the Lee Fullmer Tournament at 5 p.m. today and tomorrow in Redlands.
Jonathan Corral can be reached at jcorral@ulv.edu.