Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – Whittier controlled the paint and put together its best all-around performance of the season in a 76-61 win over Whitworth University on Friday night at Dave Jacobs Court.

Five players reached double figures, the Poets held a 14 board advantage on the glass and the Whittier College women's basketball team outscored the Pirates 42-15 in the paint en route to its 15-point win.

Kourtney Zilbert led the way for the purple and gold with a 16-point, 13-rebound, evening while Brittany Aranda, Alex Coon, Alex Bassett and Tina Merlino all hit double digits.

More impressively for the Poets was the play of the bench. Bassett led the group with 11 points in just seven minutes of action. Danielle Quinones played strong in relief of Keimi Lew and finished with a game-high six assists.

Despite the strong finish by the purple and gold, it was the Pirates (3-4) who controlled the game early. Whitworth held an 11-point, 22-11, lead at the 12:28 mark of the first half before the Poets (3-3) used a 13-0 run to take a 24-22 lead just four minutes later.

The teams traded buckets over the final eight minutes of the first stanza with the largest lead reaching just three points on two occasions.

Whitworth's Emily Travis made the score 30-27 with one of her three, three pointers, and Kendra Lahue knocked down two of her own at 4:27 to put the Pirates up 34-31.

Aranda, who matched Zilbert's game-high 16 points, closed the gap to 34-33 on Whittier's next possessions and later gave the Poets a 36-34 lead with under a minute to play before the intermission.

The Poets would never trail again despite going into the locker room tied at 36.

Whittier scored the first eight points of the second half and after the Pirates got as close at 54-50 at the 9:40 mark the Poets used a 12-0 run put the game out of reach. Whittier's second half lead reached as many as 20 points with 3:49 left in the game.

Merlino scored 10 points, added six rebounds and had five assists in the win. Coon had 11 points while Zilbert added four assists, four blocks and two steals to her stat line.

As a team the Poets shot 49 percent from the field which includes a 57 percent effort in the second half.

Whittier has won three straight games on its current home stand and will look to keep it going on Sunday evening as it hosts UC Santa Cruz at 5 pm.