LOS ANGELES — The Occidental College women's basketball team knew that its Valentine's Day date with La Verne would look more like a track meet than a basketball game with major playoff implications. The first time the teams met, they combined for 220 points and Makenzie Brandon (Seattle, Wash.) set the SCIAC single-game record with 54 as the Tigers edged ULV 115-105.

But Oxy's fortune the second time around wasn't so sweet.

Brandon went for 33 and had 11 rebounds in a losing effort as the Tigers missed a handful of good looks down the stretch and shot just 33.7 percent in a 90-80 loss to La Verne at Rush Gymnasium on Thursday.

"We had plenty of opportunities that we just couldn't capitalize on," Occidental coach Anahit Aladzhanyan said. "We had good looks and we were able to mostly avoid the fast-paced frenzy they like to play, but we didn't execute down the stretch."

The loss drops the Tigers into fifth place, trailing La Verne for the fourth-and-final SCIAC playoff spot.

Oxy will now likely have to win out, beating Pomona-Pitzer (6-15, 5-9 SCIAC) and Whittier (5-18, 2-12 SCIAC), and have La Verne (13-10, 10-4 SCIAC) lose to Cal Lutheran (20-4, 12-3 SCIAC) and/or Pomona-Pitzer. Two La Verne losses and two Oxy victories earns the Tigers the fourth spot. If La Verne splits its last two games and the Tigers win both of theirs, a coin flip will determine if Oxy or La Verne gets the fourth seed (head-to-head and record-against the SCIAC's top teams in order doesn't break the tie).

Oxy took a 72-69 lead on a pair of back-door plays from Katelyn Rowe (Carlsbad) to Makenzie Brandon (Seattle, Wash.), the second from the top of the key to the left block with 8:10 to play.

La Verne quickly countered with six straight. Megan Musashi hit a three, Riki Murakami sunk a pair of free throws and Tyne McClure hit one.

Oxy got within one with 2:10 to play when Rowe rebounded her own miss and scored, cutting the Leopards edge to 77-76.

But then La Verne beat Oxy's full court pressure deep, on three crucial possessions, for two layups and a dagger three.

Musashi countered Rowe's layup with a score 4 seconds later after sneaking past the Tigers defense.

Then with 1:19 left, Oxy's Marquisha Corley (Tucson, Ariz.) finished a put back, but Amanda Copas got lose for a full-court pass on the ensuing inbounds that led to another layup and a 83-78 lead.

On Oxy's next trip down, Brandon missed a 15-footer that bounced out of bounds in favor of the Leopards. Then Musashi found herself wide open for three and buried the 22-footer after another baseball pass went over Oxy's head to Copas who found Musashi on the right wing.

Liz Little (Littleton, Colo.) and Michelle Naito-Lo each scored 12 points on a pair of threes and Corley chipped in 10.

Tyne McClure led the Leopards with 29 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tigers played without starting center Elizabeth Messick (Reno, Nev.), who missed the game due to injury.

Oxy forced La Verne into 30 turnovers and had 29 more field goal attempts. But ULV went 23-29 from the free throw line, outrebounded Oxy 54-43 and shot 45.5 percent from the field.