ORANGE, Calif. – A shorthanded Chapman University women's basketball team fell 69-63 to visiting La Verne on Saturday. The Panthers dropped their third straight game and now stand at 8-6 overall and 2-5 in the SCIAC.

The Panthers were down two regular starters due to injuries but took a close game into the fourth quarter before La Verne pulled away for the win. Neither team ever led by double digits in a back and forth affair that featured six lead changes and seven ties. In the end, La Verne open the fourth quarter on a 13-6 run to turn a two-point deficit into a six-point lead and never trailed again.

Shanna Brown had the best game of her your career, scoring 22 points in 16 minutes off the bench to go along with nine rebounds. Aidan Sherfey was the only other Panther in double figures with 11 points. Trinity Barretto recorded five assists and pulled down seven rebounds with six points.

La Verne spread out the scoring with four starters in double digits, led by 16 from Chiara Brown. The Leopards shot 44.2 percent on the night while Chapman shot 39.7 percent.

The Panthers came out hot and built a 19-12 lead after the first quarter but La Verne ended the second quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 33-31 lead into halftime. Chapman battled back to take a 44-42 lead in the third, holding La Verne to just nine points in the quarter, before La Verne scored 27 points in the fourth to take the win.

Chapman plays its next two games on the road, travelling to Redlands on Monday and Whittier on Saturday, before returning home to take on Occidental on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.