Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College women's basketball team ran into a tough test Wednesday evening as they survived the Beavers of the California Institute of Technology 62-55 en route to earning their first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory.

With the win the Poets improve back to .500 at 5-5, 1-1 SCIAC, while Caltech remains winless on the season at 0-13, 0-4 SCIAC.

Whittier started the game off quickly taking an early 17-8 lead over the first nine minutes and then stretched it to 24-12 but that lead would soon be short-lived as 14 turnovers would cost the Poets, while Caltech would put together a 17-4 run over the final eight minutes that gave them a 29-28 lead at the break. 

Bridget Connor kept the momentum going for the Beavers with the first four points of the second half to put Caltech up by five at 33-28.  Whittier pulled back within one, but the Beavers regained the three-point lead on a layup by Ann Chen.  That scenario played out twice more before the Poets finally jumped in front, scoring six straight points on consecutive possessions from Priscilla Rodriguez (East Los Angeles, Calif.), Kaylah Alexander (Altoona, PA), and Amia Thrash (Eastvale, Calif.) to take the 42-39 lead with 12:11 remaining. 

Kate Lewis shouldered the load over the next two minutes for CIT, scoring four unanswered to put Caltech back on top, 43-42, as the Beavers held the Poets scoreless over the ensuing three minutes. Whittier briefly took back the lead following an Alexander lay-up, but Michelle Wong went coast-to-coast after grabbing a defensive rebound to even the score at 45-45 with 7:21 left to play.

Whittier would finally string together a run, scoring seven unanswered points spanning two minutes to surge ahead for good.  Caltech pulled back within a basket on two occasions but would come no closer than three points as Whittier held on for the victory. 

Rodriguez led the offensive unit finishing with 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and five steals, while Ana Youngblood (Berkeley, Calif.) proved to be a test inside finishing with a double double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Krishauna Leftridge (Washington, D.C.) had her breakout game of the season coming off the bench to chip in with seven points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block.     

Whittier was outshot in all three categories for the game (37%-34% from the field, 14%-13% beyond the arc, and 70%-68% at the free throw line), but generated 13 more shots than the Beavers, won the rebounding effort 41-38, won the paint battle 34-26 and earned 16 second chance points to Caltech's five.

The Poets travel this Saturday, January 10 as they take on the University of La Verne beginning at 2:00pm.