Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Women's Basketball team got things started quickly Saturday afternoon in the Graham Athletic Center but couldn't hold a first quarter lead as they fell 75-63 to the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.

Playing without Christine Miller (Gilbert, AZ) who was out with a wrist injury, limited the Poets inside as they saw their record drop to 5-13, 2-7 SCIAC.

Whittier was firing on all cylinders in the first quarter as they jumped out in front 16-5 with seven unanswered that got the scoring started.  Elizabeth Castillo (Montebello, Calif.) added a jumper from the elbow and Carly Buechler (Denver, CO) added a layup and three-pointer that put WC in front 7-0.

After a couple quick baskets from PP that put them on the scoreboard, Buechler would then find her stroke again as she would add another seven in row, capped off with yet another deep ball that moved the score to 14-5.  Erica Houston (Stockton, Calif.) would finish the run with a nice move inside kissing a jumper off the glass.         

But that lead would soon diminish as Pomona-Pitzer would pull within four at 18-14 after the first ten minutes.

PP would break the game open in the second and third quarters outscoring the Purple & Gold 20-13 in the second and 19-8 in the third before taking a commanding 53-39 lead into the final stanza. 

Whittier attempted a comeback starting off the fourth with a 7-2 run with Houston connecting on a jumper, and Amia Thrash (Eastvale, Calif.) and Ana Youngblood (Berkeley, Calif.) adding lay-ins.  Buechler would add another three-pointer and Thrash would add a jumper that pulled the Poets within seven 58-51 but that's as close as they would get as Pomona-Pitzer would hold on for the 12 point victory.

Buechler led the Poets with 15 points.  Youngblood recorded a double double with 10 points and 10 boards, Priscilla Rodriguez (East Los Angeles, Calif.) had 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with three assists, and Thrash and Houston had nine and eight points, each respectively off the bench.    

Whittier now travels for two games as they take on Claremont-M-S this Tuesday, February 2 beginning at 7:30pm before taking on the University of La Verne on Saturday, February 6 at 4:00pm.