Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The home stand continues to treat the Poets' women's basketball team well as they won their fourth straight game at Dave Jacobs with a 71-64 win over UC Santa Cruz on Sunday night.

Kourtney Zilbert continued her strong play with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds to record her third double-double in as many outings. Tina Merlino chipped in with 13 points and matched Zilbert's rebound total for her first double-double of the season.

Whittier (4-3) came out fast, scoring the game's first six points and building a 17-point lead just halfway through the first half.

The Poets' lead was 25-8 with 9:29 remaining in the half before a modest 10-1 run over the next two minutes pulled the Banana Slugs (3-7) within eight at 26-18. Whittier pushed its lead back to double digits on a layup by Alex Coon and after UCSC trimmed its deficit to nine points Coon and Merlino gave the purple and gold a 32-19 lead with back-to-back jumpers.

Whittier's first half lead got to 14 points at the two minute mark but the Slugs went into the intermission down 37-27.

The fast start of the first half carried over to the second as the Poets stretched its lead to 57-39 at the 12:33 mark.

UCSC battled back with a 15-2 run to make the score 59-54 and eventually got as close as four points with 3:17 remaining in regulation. However, that proved as close as it would get.

Keimi Lew all but sealed the game for the Poets with the traditional three point play with less than two minutes remaining. The junior guard drove through the paint, drew contact and finished the bucket to give Whittier a 69-61 lead. Her ensuing free throw made it 70-61.

Whittier forced 19 turnovers and turned that into 27 points while outscoring the Banana Slugs 32-22 in the paint. Zilbert and Merlino led a rebounding effort that grabbed 50 boards to UC Santa Cruz's 34.

Lew finished with eight points, six rebounds and nine assists, Coon had eight points and seven boards while Brittany Aranda had three steals, three rebounds and eight points.

Mitchell had seven points in the win and Alex Bassett grabbed five rebounds.

Whittier will take a week off but will return to action on Saturday, December 18, at 6 pm as it hosts Pacific (Ore.).