Fajardo's game-winning layup hands Cal Lutheran first SCIAC loss

ORANGE, Calif. – Tied 63-63 with seven seconds left in the game Jaryn Fajardo hit the game-winning layup to give the Panthers to a 65-63 victory, ending Cal Lutheran's perfect SCIAC run on Saturday afternoon at the Hutton Sports Center.  

Cal Lutheran took a one-point lead into the fourth but the final 10 minutes provided a classic back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes with neither team holding more than a three-point lead. Megan Charles knocked down six key free throws in the quarter to score eight of her 14 points in the frame.

Fajardo had six points over the final 10 minutes – the first of which gave the Panthers a 57-56 lead with 5:53 to go. After her next layup tied the game at 61-61 with 2:39 to play, the Panthers got a key stop on the defensive end and went up 63-61 when Fajardo found Natalia Ebrahimian open under the basket for an easy lay-in.

Haley Hogson's put back tied the game back up at 63-63 with 33 seconds to go. After a quick timeout, the Panthers let the clock run down a bit. Fajardo found her way into the lane and banked in the game-winner with seven seconds left to play. After a series of timeouts, Cal Lutheran put up a close-range shot but it rolled around the rim and fell out as time expired.

Chapman took an early lead 8-4 with back-to-back layups by Ebrahimian. She ended the game with a game-high of 19 points The Regals battled to tie the game up 8-8 but the Panthers forced two turnovers to spark an 11-2 run at the 2:44 minute mark. The Panthers ended the first quarter leading 25-16.

The Regals opened up the second quarter on a 9-2 run to tie it up 27-27 at the 6:30 minute mark. Trailing 36-33, a triple from Jaime Hum-Nishikado and layup by Ebrahimian allowed the Panthers to tie the game up 38-38 at the end of the first half.

Chapman and Cal Lutheran went shot for shot up until the four minute mark in the third quarter, when a down-low shot by Ebrahimian sparked a 6-0 run and allowed the Panthers to take the lead 48-42. The Regals climbed their way back with a 6-0 run over the last three minutes to take the lead 49-48 at the end of the third.

Katelyn Serizawa provided a spark all over the floor, pulling down 10 rebounds, scoring six points, dishing out seven assists and swiping two steals. The Panthers forced 14 turnovers while only turning it over seven times.

The Panthers (11-6 overall, 6-2 SCIAC) will head to Redlands on Tuesday with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

by Raquel Rinauro
Sports Information Assistant

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