Photo by: Tracy Maple

REDLANDS, Calif. - The Poets trimmed a 14-point second half deficit to four points with 8:18 to play in the game but couldn't get closer as the University of Redlands handed Whittier its second straight loss, 74-55, on Saturday evening.

The Poets have not lost consecutive games since the Tiger/Poet Challenge on December 3 and 4.

Brittany Aranda connected on a three-pointer to jump start a 15-5 run that cut the Bulldogs' lead to 48-44 but Redlands answered with 14 of the next 16 points to push its lead back to double digits.

The Bulldogs held Whittier to just 11 points over the final 8:18 of the game en route to the 19-point win.

Whittier (13-10, 6-6 SCIAC) struggled from long range and was outscored 21-9 from deep. The Poets shot 16 percent (3-of-19) from three-point land and watched UR hit half of its attempts (7-of-14).

The purple and gold controlled the glass and limited Redlands to three second chance points but couldn't overcome a 29 percent shooting evening.

Kourtney Zilbert and Morgan Sabala each scored a team-high 11 points while Tina Merlino had 10. Aranda chipped in with nine points and Ashante Reid finished with seven.

The Poets never trailed by more than nine points in the first half and trailed 32-27 at the half.

The loss tonight and Claremont-M-S' win over La Verne drops Whittier's lead for the fourth and final playoff spot to one game. Whittier and CMS will faceoff next Thursday evening in the Graham Athletics Center at 7:30 pm.

The Poets close out their regular season with a home tilt against second place Cal Lutheran. The Athenas' final game is against Pomona-Pitzer.