Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

ORANGE, Calif. (Jan. 17, 2022) – The Whittier College women's basketball team put together an incredible late-game rally at SCIAC foe Chapman University on Monday night, but the big late effort was not enough to extend the Poets' four-game winning streak.

The Poets bookended the game with their best all-around first quarter of the season and a fourth quarter that saw the offense come back to life, putting a considerable amount of pressure on a tough Panthers team on the road. Five different Poets registered field goals during the 17-point first quarter, which matched the output from Saturday's game with the University of La Verne. This time, however, the Poets combined the scoring with a smothering defensive effort to take a 17-9 lead into the second quarter. Senior center Amy Navarro (Pico Rivera, Calif. / Rio Hondo Community College) led the way during this stretch with all six of her points coming the first quarter. 

A tough middle stretch of the game stung the Poets, but the team rebounded nicely late with 21 fourth-quarter points. Seniors Teani White (Burbank, Calif. / Viewpoint) and Lainie James (La Habra, Calif. / Sonora), the Poets' leading offensive duo, picked up the slack late with six points apiece over the final 10 minutes. White led all Poets with 13 points on 50-percent shooting, while finding other ways to contribute with four rebounds and four assists. Freshman forward Rhe Nae Leach (Riverside, Calif. / John W. North) posted a similar line from a ball control standpoint with 10 rebounds and four assists. Four of Leach's rebounds came on the offensive end, while sophomore wing Kailynn Tuck (Portland, Ore. / Jesuit) matched Leach in the offensive rebounding department while chipping in with six points. While the Poets came up short of what would have been their fifth-consecutive victory, they can take solace in the fact that they held the Panthers to under 60 points and won the turnover battle by a five-takeaway margin. 

Head Coach Roy Dow and the Poets will have an opportunity to get back into the SCIAC win column in just two days when they travel to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges for a 7 p.m. game.

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