Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Whittier College Women's Basketball team dropped their second straight game of the 2015-16 season Saturday as they wrapped up the Occidental Classic Tournament with an 81-71 loss to the Linfield Wildcats.

Junior Priscilla Rodriguez (East Los Angeles, Calif.) led the Poets early answering Hannah Depew's six points for Linfield with five of her own that kept the Purple & Gold in striking distance.

Christine Miller's jumper gave the Poets an 11-10 advantage with 4:09 to play in the opening quarter but the 'Cats would respond with a 9-4 run that gave them a leg up at the first break.

Linfield pushed the spread to double digits just over halfway through the second period on a Riley Graham free throw and would take a 36-27 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

A 20-7 run for Linfield blew the game open at the start of the third quarter with Genna Hughes knocking down a jumper that made it a 21-point differential.  Rodriguez and Carly Buechler (Denver, CO) would answer with back to back triples that pulled Whittier within 16 at the end of the third.  That helped spark a huge fourth quarter where WC outscored the 'Cats 30-24 over the final ten minutes. 

Rodriguez and Danyae Fuller (Los Angeles, Calif.) combined for seven quick points that made it a nine-point affair, 79-70, with a minute to play but that's as close as they would get as Linfield would knock down free throws that secured the ten point victory.

Rodriguez led the Poets with 21 points going 3-of-8 from deep.  Miller had 13 points and seven boards off the bench and Buechler and Amia Thrash (Eastvale, Calif.) each had nine points and five boards.      

Whittier remains on the road when they open up December competition on December 5-6 when they take part in the UC Santa Cruz December Classic where they will take on Colorado College (Dec. 5 @ 5:00pm) and UC Santa Cruz (Dec. 6 @ 5:00pm).