Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 22, 2022) – The Whittier College women's basketball team put together its most complete and most efficient game of the season at Occidental College on Saturday afternoon. The Poets defeated the 2-5 Tigers, 71-46, to complete the season sweep.

The Poets received premium contributions from its top two scorers, seniors Teani White (Burbank, Calif. / Viewpoint) and Lainie James (La Habra, Calif. / Sonora) in addition to freshman Rhe Nae Leach (Riverside, Calif. / John W. North). All three players made at least seven field goals over the 40-minute game leading the Poets to a 60-percent shooting day. Whittier was every bit as good defensively, putting on a clinic to hold the Tigers to just 22.4 percent shooting for the day, resulting in a shooting differential of nearly 40 percent, the widest positive margin for the Poets this season by far. The visitors made it a point to jump on the home team early, scoring 17 first-quarter points for the third time in the last four games. James, who played just 20 minutes of the rout, got her team off on the right foot with seven of her 17 points coming in the first quarter while helping to hold the Tigers to just one field goal in 16 attempts over the early stretch.

As the game progressed, Leach began to take over for the Poets not only defensively, but also offensively with 12 of her 17 points coming over the second half. She shot a career-best 7-for-12 from the field, helping to keep the Whittier offense afloat while the Tigers eventually found their own offensive rhythm late in the game. It was White, however, who would go on to lead the Poets in scoring with 24 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Saturday's game also marks the sixth time this season White has had at least 24 points to her name. Scoring came easy for the senior throughout the game' entirety, as she managed no fewer than two field goals in any quarter of the game. The Poets' dominant trio accounted for a combined 58 of the team's 71 points on Saturday, but gave way to their teammates late, who maintained a level of play that allowed the Poets to take their largest lead of the game (26) on their final basket of the game, which was coincidentally the first field goal in the career of freshman forward Adriana Carnecer (San Francisco, Calif. Urban School of San Francisco). The Poets, who led for the game's entirety, otherwise handled the Tigers by most statistical metrics, including points in the paint (30-12) while holding the Tigers to just a pair of three-point field goals in 21 attempts. Seniors Daisy Cardenas (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Canyon) and Shaeleigh Wright (Long Beach, Calif. Long Beach Millikan) had a tremendous role in the defensive effort with each player logging at least 22 minutes of action in starting roles.

Head Coach Roy Dow and the Poets, poised to improve upon their 5-3 first half of the SCIAC slate, will next play a pivotal game at home against Chapman University on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. 

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