Strong defensive effort leads to win over La Verne

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University women's basketball team downed the visiting La Verne Leopards 76-61 behind a double-double from junior Brittany McPherson. The Panthers' defense slowed down the fast-paced Leopard offense to pull away late for the win.

Winners of four of their last five, the Panthers limited La Verne to 27 percent shooting on the night and forced 13 turnovers. Chapman shot 40.3 percent in the winning effort and knocked down 15-of-16 free throws.

McPherson scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while dishing out three assists. Senior Lucy Criswell added 14 points to go along with her five rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore Larissa Wu provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting night, including a pair of threes.

The Panthers edged ahead after a tightly contested first quarter to take an 18-15 lead. The defense was stifling in the second quarter as La Verne shot just 2-for-19, making a pair of three-pointers on 11 attempts and missing all eight of their two-point tries.

The two three-pointers for La Verne bookended a nearly eight-minute scoring drought. Madison Hotchkiss brought La Verne within a point when her long three made 20-19 Chapman with 8:29 left before halftime. The Leopards did not score again until another three dropped in with 32 seconds left in the quarter. During the eight-minute drought, Chapman rattled off a 16-0 run and held a commanding 41-22 lead at halftime.

The Leopards found their shooting stroke in the third quarter and put up 29 points to get back in the game. They started the half on a 13-2 run to cut the lead into single digits. However, Chapman responded with an 11-0 run to start the fourth to push the lead back to 19.

La Verne continued to battle but Chapman continued to respond in the fourth to pull away for the win. Criswell scored nine of her 14 points in the final quarter after battling foul trouble through much of the second and third quarters.

The Panthers return to action on Wednesday when they head to Redlands for a 7 p.m. matchup with the SCIAC-leading and undefeated in SCIAC Bulldogs.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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