Women suffer double overtime loss
Campus Times
February 7, 1997
Senior forward Katie Miner plows through Occidental's defense at the
women's basketball game last Friday night. Minor scores an average of 10.4
points per game. The Leopards won 68-49 and are scheduled to play Redlands
at home tonight at 7:30.
Tuesday was a tough day for the University of La Verne women's basketball
team. It played the No. 1 school in the Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SCIAC), Pomona-Pitzer, whose record going into the
game was 4-0 in conference. The Leopards lost, 73-72, in double overtime.
The Leopards refused to go down without a fight and gave the Sagehens
a run for their money. At halftime, La Verne was ahead, 25-17. But Pomona-Pitzer
outscored them in the second half resulting in a 58-58 tie. After a strenuous
double overtimes, neither team would back down and Pomona-Pitzer finally
pulled through, barely grasping the win.
Freshman forward Lori Johnson scored a team high of 25 points, senior
forward Katie Miner racked up 23 points, and sophomore guard Jennifer Spring
pulled through with 13 points.
Cal Lutheran, Claremont and Pomona-Pitzer all have to come to the Supertents
and play the Leopards.
If La Verne plays the remainder of its games with aggression, strength
and quick defense, it will not be hard for them to place high in the conference.
"If they stop playing at their opponents' level and start playing
at the level and intensity that they can, that would be a turning point
for the better," said head coach Julie Kline.
La Verne's overall record is 8-11, 3-3 in SCIAC.
Pomona-Pitzer was the last college in the conference La Verne went up
against. Now the Leopards will play all six schools again this month.
"Playing a strong defense wins games," said Kline.
There was no doubt about that after the women's team proved her theory
correct. On Jan. 10, the Leopards edged a 65-64 win over Wheaton College
of Illinois, ranked eighth in the nation. After one overtime, strong defense,
and consistent shots, they were able to walk away clinching a hard earned
victory.
The highlight of the night came from Spring when a Wheaton player attempted
to put in a lay-up and Spring shattered all possibilities of her scoring
by slapping the ball against the backboard. The crowd was brought to its
feet in an uproar. Junior forward Alicia Gibson scored the team high that
night with 32 points.
It took the Leopards a while to learn what it takes to win after a rocky
five-game losing streak over the winter break.
They lost to Southern California College, 51-65, Albertson of Idaho,
56-66, Augustana of Illinois, 65-68, UC San Diego, 63-71, and Cal Baptist,
58-59, all from which are NAIA schools.
They came back with a two game winning streak edging the win from Wheaton
College and overpowering Redlands 56-34, in their first SCIAC play.
LaVerne lost to Cal Lutheran 71-57, but turned around and beat Whittier
Jan. 21, scoring over twice as many points as the Poets, 84-40.
The Leopards came short of winning to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Jan. 24
in overtime, in an intense game. The bleachers were filled and both teams
came out to win. At halftime, La Verne led by 12 points, 48-36.
Gibson was shooting three pointers consistently, senior point guard
Kelly Perkins was handling the ball very well with outstanding assists,
and Miner was rebounding the ball well. Miner averages 10 rebounds per game.
Claremont learned LaVerne's strategies and came back with a new plan.
That plan caused the two starters, Miner and Perkins to foul out almost
immediately one after another in the second half. That mishap put LaVerne
in a tight bind which allowed the back-ups to step up.
"We're getting contributions from different players and they still
have great potential for the rest of the season," said Kline.
They went up against Occidental Jan. 31 with an expected win of 68-49.
Johnson contributed to the team scoring 24 points that game. She averages
18.4 points per game with 10.0 rebounds. Miner is averaging 10.4 points
per game. Gibson and Spring have stepped up to the challenge and are playing
very well.
Junior forward Laura Czingula is expected to be back for the second
round of conference after having been out since the beginning of the season
due to surgery on her left knee.
The Leopards play Redlands tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Supertents.