Kourtney Zilbert '11 posted a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds as Whittier College cruised to a 79-48 victory over SCIAC rival Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in the Graham Athletics Center on January 26.  The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Poets, who are now 7-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

Zilbert reached a double-double midway through the first half.  She finished the game with five assists and three steals.  Christa Rainville '08 scored a game-high sixteen points and pitched in with seven rebounds.  Melissa Johnson '10 turned in a solid performance off the bench with eight points, ten rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals.  Cynthia Leon '08 hit a pair of three-pointers and finished with eight points and Ashley Vierra '10 scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds.

The Sagehens (2-14, 1-5) were led by Deirdre Chew and Mary Padden who scored eleven and ten points, respectively. 

The Poets torched the nets in the first half, shooting 55% from the fied.  They got off to a quick start as they scored the first six points and took a 14-2 lead just over five minutes into the game.  Later in the half, the Poets went on an 11-0 run to take a 23-point lead (33-10).  They went into the locker room with a 49-19 halftime lead.

Whittier's lead would not fall below 22 points in the remainder of the game, despite seeing their shooting percentage dip just below 30% in the second half.  They led by as may as 33 thanks to strong defense that forced 28 turnovers in the game. 

The Poets are now in a tie for fourth place in the SCIAC standings with California Lutheran University.  Whittier looks to continue to climb up the conference ladder on January 31 when they travel to Eagle Rock, Calif., to take on Occidental College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.