Fajardo scores career-best 30 points in loss to Pomona-Pitzer

ORANGE, Calif. - The Chapman University women's basketball team fell to the visiting Pomona Pitzer Sagehens 90-83 earlier this afternoon. Senior standout Jaryn Fajardo had a career-best 30-point game to lead the Panthers in the effort.

Junior Lucy Criswell led the Panthers with six points in the first quarter, hitting two threes to give Chapman a 13-9 lead with less than five to play. Sagehens freshman Carly Leong led Pomona-Pitzer with seven points in the first while senior Keilani Ikehara had three steals. The Panthers led the first quarter up until freshman Cameron Edward of Pomona-Pitzer sunk a jump shot to tie the game at 13-13. From there Pomona pulled ahead with an 8-3 run, ending the quarter in the lead at 21-16.  

Fajardo jumped out of the huddle in the second quarter to score 10 points and shoot 100% from the field. Leong led the Sagehens, adding 10 points to her total in the second. Chapman closed the gap at 28-27 with the help of an and-one from junior Marissa Dunn with just under seven minutes left in the quarter. Pomona-Pitzer then went on a 14-point score run with two minutes left, sinking three shots from beyond the arc to help build the lead. Fajardo scored seven points in the last two minutes of the quarter and was helped by freshmen Julia Strand and Madison Shigeta who each scored a pair. The Panthers ended the quarter trailing 46-38.

Strand led Chapman in the third quarter with nine points, followed by Fajardo with seven and Criswell with six. Strand finished out the quarter with three made free throws, cutting the Panthers' deficit to just four points with one quarter left to play.   

Fajardo had an explosive fourth quarter with 11 points. The senior shortened an 8-point gap to just five points with a jumper from beyond the arc with a little over two minutes left in the game. Soon after, Shigeta made a lay-up, bringing the Panthers' deficit to 84-81 with a minute left to play. Pomona-Pitzer went on a five-point run with 25 seconds left to end the game at a score of 90-83. 

Fajardo added four assists, four rebounds and a steal to her line score. Criswell tallied six boards, an assist and two blocks while Strand posted 16 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.

The Panthers return to Hutton Sports Center to host Caltech on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7pm.

by Karissa Davis
Sports Information Intern

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