Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College women's basketball team despite a 19 point performance from sophomore Dannika Navales-Lugtu lost their fourth straight game and fourth straight SCIAC match-up falling 72-52 to the Regals of Cal Lutheran University Thursday evening. 

Whittier now drops into seventh place in the SCIAC standings moving to 4-11, 1-5 SCIAC, while Cal Lutheran moves into second place in the SCIAC standings improving to 12-2, 5-1 SCIAC.

The Poets pushed the Regals in the first eight minutes of action by holding the high powered offense to a mere 13 points, while pulling within three thanks to a free throw and jumper from Navales-Lugtu at the 11:55 mark.  Cal Lutheran attempted to pull ahead with a 7-0 run but Whittier remained aggressive on the defensive end and continued to connect from the perimeter keeping the game at 23-16 with 7:24 to play in the first half.

But this would be as close as they would get as Cal Lutheran would combine for a 14-0 run that covered the next six minutes putting the Regals in front by double digits 37-16 at the 1:57 mark.  Casceal Swaggard got into the mix knocking down her lone jumper of the game that stopped the CLU run and after a made free throw by Cal Lutheran's Jazmyne Porter and a lay in by Erica Whitley, Navales-Lugtu connected on a last second three that sent the Poets into the locker room down 40-21.

CLU standout Starla Wright who finished with a game high 26 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting connected on 6-6 from the field for 16 points in the first half, while Whitley posted a statline consisting of 12 points on 4-8 shooting to go with six steals, five boards, and five assists just in twenty minutes of action. 

Whittier's Navales-Lugtu who was held to a mere seven points in the first half broke out in the second for 12 points on 4-7 shooting going 2-4 from deep but it wasn't enough as CLU extended a lead in the second grabbing a lead as high as 28 points, while shooting 53% from the field.  Whittier made a run late in the game with the Cal Lutheran subs getting playing time finishing the game off on an 11-4 run to pull within twenty but it wasn't enough to cut into the deficit.

For the game, Whittier was outscored in the paint 38-10, while losing the battle on the glass 40-32.  Despite forcing 24 Cal Lutheran turnovers and holding an advantage in second chance points, the Poets were unable to equal the depth of the Regals as CLU went on to outscore WC 23-11 from the bench. 

Whittier looks to the weekend when they travel to Pasadena, Calif. on Saturday, January 12 when they take on the Beavers of the California Institute of Technology, beginning at 5:00pm.