Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. (Jan. 15, 2022) – The Whittier College women's basketball remained undefeated when senior Teani White (Burbank, Calif. / Viewpoint) double-doubles with its 79-71 victory over the University of La Verne, but Saturday's game marked a new first for the Poets' point guard. It marked the first time in White's career she achieved the feat with assists.

As Saturday's game progressed, White began to find holes in the Leopards' system-based approach with increased ease, assisting five times in the third quarter alone and on four consecutive field goals over the period. Despite going into the second half with just a pair of assists, the senior went on to register eight over the remainder of the game to get her to double-digits, providing a complement to her 13 points and eight rebounds in a near triple-double outing. Junior forward Lainie James (La Habra, Calif. / Sonora), meanwhile, led scoring for the home team, achieving her second 20-plus point effort in as many games. James particularly began to heat up by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from deep over the final period to take on the role of 'closer' in Whittier's fifth SCIAC win of the year.

The Poets' ability to adjust to and deal with the Leopards' offensive and defensive systems proved to be a big decider in the outcome of Saturday's game. The visitors became unconscionably hot from all areas of the floor early, but their propensity for quick possessions also forced Whittier to pick up the offensive pace early, resulting in a season-best 17 first quarter points, perhaps forcing the Poets' into an earlier-than usual offensive rhythm early. While La Verne's good fortune from deep waned, the Poets began to put a pace on the Leopards using their athletic starting lineup. Freshman forward Rhe Nae Leach (Riverside, Calif. / John W. North), who came just one rebound away from the first double-double of her career, also managed to impose her will on the visitors defensively with three steals and a pair of blocks. Both blocks were aggressive rejections that helped serve the break up the Leopards' momentum. Similarly, senior forward Shaeleigh Wright (Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Milliken) nabbed four steals for the Poets, showing great anticipation for the Leopards' quick trigger finger with the basketball. Whittier's collective defensive efforts also caused the La Verne to shoot just 20-percent in the second quarter, completely disrupting an offensive rhythm that threatened to hand the Poets just their second SCIAC defeat of the season in the early going.

Whittier erased a 12-point first-quarter deficit in the second quarter, tying the game at 38 points apiece going into the second half. From there, White routinely found openings beneath the Leopards' basket to feed players such as Wright and senior center Amy Navarro (Pico Rivera, Calif. / Rio Hondo Community College), making life a little easier for a team needing to maintain an offensive pace to eventually pull away from the opposition. The Poets went on to shoot over 50-percent in the second half, helping to erase any ideas of a late run from the visiting team. With La Verne having already played its 'best hand' in the opening period, Whittier cruised to a 41-33 second half, adding to a week that already featured another sterling defensive performance against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

Head Coach Roy Dow and the Poets will look to make it five-in-a-row when they travel to Chapman University on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.

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