Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

REDLANDS, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2022) – A huge bounce-back night from reigning SCIAC Athlete of the Year Teani White (Burbank, Calif. / Viewpoint), among other things, helped lead the fourth-seeded Whittier College women's basketball to an upset over top-seeded University of Redlands in Wednesday's SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinal game.

The Poets unseated the Bulldogs 71-66 in double overtime to complete a night of firsts. Thursday marked the first time in program history the Poets have won multiple SCIAC Postseason Tournament games in one year, the first time they've upset the top-seeded team, and the first time they'll be appearing in the postseason tournament championship. The opponent will be third-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, a team the Poets have had two very different games with this season. A victory on Saturday will give Whittier its first SCIAC Championship in 36 years, and grant the team a berth into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. 

The Poets wasted no time in taking it to the Bulldogs, scoring 17 points in each of the first two quarters. Though it took White some time, the senior ultimately took control of the game for the second quarter, accounting for 12 of the visitors' 17 points for the quarter on perfect shooting. She finished the game with 28 points thanks in part to a 9-of-12 free-throw shooting night, but perhaps more importantly double-doubled with 14 rebounds. The Poets came into Thursday night's game unbeaten in games where White double-doubles, and thanks to the senior's 28-14-6 line, they can continue to claim this fact. White was not the only Whittier player to post a big offensive night, however, as junior forward Lainie James (La Habra, Calif. / Sonora) scored sixteen points and freshman guard Rhe Nae Leach (Riverside, Calif. / John W. North) finished the game with 12.

A pair of threes from White to close the first half gave Whittier a five-point edge going into the final 20 minutes, however, Whittier's first-half success paved the way for an opportunity for the Bulldogs to show why they finished the regular season 14-2 against conference opponents, though the ensuing moments would likewise give the Poets a chance to show why they accounted for half of the Bulldogs' defeats. Whittier trailed by as many as eight points with four minutes remaining in regulation, but they would slowly chip away at the home team's lead over the final minutes. A Redlands technical foul did not help matters for the top-seeded Bulldogs, and the Poets capitalized with two free throws from White following a jump shot from the senior point guard. Whittier would then go on to accrue consecutive stops, which led to White finding senior Shaeleigh Wright (Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Millikan) and junior Kailynn Tuck (Portland, Ore. / Jesuit) for a pair of key layups that whittled the Bulldogs lead down to nothing with a whole minute left to work. Ultimately, neither team could do anything with their late opportunities, though a rejection from Leach lent some confidence to the Poets defense heading into the first overtime period. The Poets could also take solace in having held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard over the game's final four minutes.

The first overtime period saw both teams trade some early offense, though the Poets found themselves leading the dance in hostile territory, leaving the Bulldogs to chase them over the five-minute period. Another Tuck layup on another nice feed from White with just 30 seconds remaining inspired hope for the Poets, but a pair of Redlands free throws would tie the game once again, and with neither team able to gain the upper hand, a second overtime period would be needed. It was here that the Poets got back to what got them to this point in the season: fundamentally sound team defense. Up until the final 30 seconds of the period, the Poets had incurred a shut out of the Bulldogs, outscoring them 5-0 while turning the ticking game clock into an ally. Leading by four, the Poets achieved back-to-back possessions of using the full shot clock, keeping the ball far away from the opposing basket. In the end, the host Bulldogs ran out of time, resulting in the Poets getting the nod to advance to the postseason tournament championship. The way the Poets measured up to the Bulldogs in the paint proved to be the difference-maker, as Redlands came into Thursday's game as one of the SCIAC's top rebounding teams as well as the conference's most offensively efficient team by a margin. The Purple & Gold succeeded, however, in limiting the Bulldogs in this area, outrebounding them while turning would-be Redlands field goals into points going back the other way thanks to seven blocks, four of which came courtesy of James.

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