Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Women's Basketball team ended their 2019-20 regular season schedule Saturday during PAC the GAC falling to the University of Redlands 54-51.
Prior to the game Head Coach Roy Dow recognized his two seniors, which included Cali Cubel (Oceanside, Calif.) and Cyerra Dillard (Fremont, Calif.). Despite not having Cubel for the game the Purple & Gold still gave the Bulldogs all they could handle keeping it a one possession game late in the contest. They finish the regular season 17-8, 11-5 SCIAC.
The game featured five ties and four lead changes with the match-up coming down to the final possession. The Poets trailed 54-48 with 2:24 to play but got within three after a Teani White (Burbank, Calif.) triple. Following a pair of turnovers and a missed UR layup the Poets had three opportunities to get within one or the tie. White missed a layup inside with :35 seconds left but a tough offensive board from Shaeleigh Wright (Long Beach, Calif.) would give WC another look. White would then put up a three-pointer but it would be off the mark. Wright again came up with another board and the final look would come from Emily Guerena (Montebello, Calif.), which also would hit the back of the iron allowing Redlands to escape with the win.
It was back and forth in the early stages with White leading the offense with a pair of three-pointers that put WC on top 6-4. After four unanswered from Redlands Guerena would tie things up converting inside and Allison Lou (Cerritos, Calif.) would knock down a jumper that moved the score to 10-8. Then over the final 1:46 UR would outscore the Poets 4-2 that would deadlock the game at 12-12 following the first quarter.
Out of the first break the back and forth continued with White adding the first four points for the Purple & Gold helping keep it a two-point game. Freshman Lizzie Scriven (Portland, OR) then came up clutch with a triple at the midway mark that got WC within one, but after that it was all Redlands putting together a 9-2 run that put them on top 29-21.
Trailing 29-22 out of the half the Poets mounted a comeback but still saw themselves trailing by eight heading into the 4th Quarter. Then over the final 10:00 minutes it was all Whittier outscoring the Bulldogs 16-11. It became a double digit deficit to open things up after a 5-0 run, but Whittier soon erased that quickly with five unanswered, which included a triple from Daisy Cardenas (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and a layup inside from Guerena. A few minutes later White sparked a run with a triple that then led to a Dallas Martinez (Kaneohe, HI) and one that got the Poets within four at 50-46. But UR didn't back down as Hannah Jerrier would answer with her own and one that pushed the lead back to seven with 3:25 to play.
Whittier shot 37% on the game and 29.2% from three-point territory. Whittier held the edge on the glass at 32-31 and added 18 points in the paint and 11 points off turnovers.
White led all scorers finishing with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go with six rebounds and two assists. The rest of the team combined for 27 points with Martinez putting up nine and Guerena with seven to go with seven rebounds and three steals. Wright was tough defensively adding three steals and 10 rebounds.
Whittier gears up for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament set to take place this Thursday, February 27 at 7:00pm. They come in as the No. 2 seed and will host No. 3 Claremont-M-S.
