CLAREMONT, Calif. - Renee Chong had 14 points, but the La Verne women's basketball team closed on an 8-1 run to steal a 57-55 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Monday evening at Roberts Pavilion. 

With the win, La Verne improves to 5-11 and 2-6 in the SCIAC, after rallying from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Pomona-Pitzer in overtime on Saturday. CMS slips to 5-9 overall and 1-4 in league play with the loss. 

Cate Shingler put CMS ahead 52-45 with a pair of foul shots with 4:24 to go, and after the Leopards made four straight free throws, Katie Resendiz scored in the paint with 3:15 left to make the score 54-49. 

Christen Ziska then knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the game for the Leopards to cut it to two, and Alyssa Smith had her 10-footer in the paint bounce around the rim and fall through with 2:03 left to tie the score. Smith scored again with 42 seconds left to make it a three-point La Verne lead at 57-54.

Ruva Kiara hit a foul shot to close to within two, and Amanda Kerner got a defensive rebound with 11 seconds left to give the Athenas a chance to tie or take the lead with a three-pointer, but Tanya Ghai's runner in the paint fell off the rim and Fiyona Haile secured the La Verne win with a defensive rebounds. 

Resendiz and Kerner each had eight points, with Resendiz adding a team-high nine rebounds. Ziska (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Smith (14 points, 13 rebounds) each had double-doubles for the Leopards. 

CMS will be back in action on Wednesday when it travels to Cal Lutheran for a 7 p.m. contest.