Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College women's basketball team partook in the Play4 Kay event for the second straight year Saturday night but this time raised over $500 for a worthy cause despite falling 78-54 to Chapman University. 

For the second time this season not a single player recorded double digits as three players tallied nine points apiece. 

Whittier kept the game close in the early minutes trailing by just one 13-12 at the 14:36 mark until Chapman would begin pulling away using two runs to extend a lead to 14 before entering the half up 40-24.

Out of the half, CU continued to add to their lead going up as much as twenty but the Poets didn't go away using six unanswered, which included four free throws from Priscilla Rodriguez (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Dannika Navales-Lugtu (San Francisco, Calif.) to cut the deficit to 18. 

But this would be the closest the Poets would get in the final minutes as Chapman would add an 8-2 run en route to the 28 point victory. 

Danielle Quinones (Marin County, Calif.), Danielle Hays (San Diego, Calif.), and Navales-Lugtu each finished with nine points, while Rodriguez chipped in with eight points off the bench.

For Chapman Kimi Takaoka led all scorers with 31 points on 12-18 shooting, while Sandra Gao totaled 13 points, seven boards, three assists, and four steals. 

Whittier returns to the court Thursday, February 13 as they host La Verne beginning at 7:30pm.