ABILENE, Texas (Mar. 4, 2022) – The Whittier College women's basketball team's historic 2021-22 season has come to an end with the Poets falling to nationally-ranked No. 5 Whitman College, 62-57, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Whittier entered the game, which also happened to be the program's first appearance in the women's tournament, fresh off its first-ever SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship, and showed through the first 20 minutes why they were the SCIAC team to cut the nets down last weekend. The Poets raced out a 23-point first quarter, truly showing how far they had come this season, having to overcome sluggish starts throughout November and December before evolving into a team that could set a tone early and wipe opponents off the court. Junior Lainie James lit the Blues up during this stretch, starting the game 5-for-5 with a trio of three-pointers while senior guard Teani White had three of her four assists during this stretch.

"I think we just came out with a different energy," White said. "We felt like we belonged. We worked hard to get to this point and felt underestimated. We wanted to give them a fight and let them know it wasn't going to be an easy win."

The Blues, who entered Friday's game with an unblemished record in the Northwest Conference, were not about to be wiped off the court, however, so the Poets would need to stave off the inevitable late run in order to come out on top. Freshman guard Rhe Nae Leach, who led the Poets with 22 points in one of her finest offensive games of the entire season, provided consistency and stability to her team with the ball in her hands. She would finish the game with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting and joined White by pulling down 11 rebounds, with both players notching double-doubles. Whitman would use the second and third frames to chip away at Whittier's lead, but by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, both teams found themselves locked in a one-point game with the stakes as high as they have been all season.

"The game comes down to execution," Head Coach Roy Dow said. "Whitman is a year-in, year-out outstanding team and I give a lot of credit to Whitman and how they played today. We wanted to drag them into the fourth quarter to have a chance and we did being down one point. It became about execution at the end and they just had a few more bullets than we did."

With a one-point lead in hand Whitman took a slight momentum advantage into the final frame and unlike some of Whittier's SCIAC foes, the Blues refused to wilt late, turning the ball over just one time. Both teams did a solid job of taking care of the basketball throughout the game, and the Poets actually won the turnover battle 12-13. However, the Blues' depth scoring proved to be a difference-maker, and when one of their top scoring options off the bench fouled out late in the fourth quarter, the rest of team stepped up. While Whitman controlled the pace of the fourth quarter for the most part, Whittier did manage a one-point lead at the 8:39 mark on the heels of two free throws from James. The Poets would then follow things up on the defensive end, with Leach picking up her second of two blocks for the game, casting doubt in the minds of the Blues. However, Whitman would eventually regain its composure and control the Poets for the rest of the quarter, but Whittier's players can hold their heads high knowing the quality and quantity of their accomplishments this season have no equal at the present time.

"The circumstances over the last 24 months in Division III were unique," Dow said. "[Teani] was sometimes playing with four new starters, and it took some time for us to integrate eight new players into just five returning players. I think that's why if you can stay committed to it and enjoy those peaks and valleys, you'll find yourself on a nice journey. We put it together in our tournament run and today I think you saw what we are capable of, which is competing with anybody in the country."

The 2021-22 season featured the Poets' first trip to the national tournament in the 40 years there has been a women's tournament in Division III, as well as their first SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship, although the Poets did win a share of the SCIAC with Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in 1986. Prior to this season, the Poets had not won a SCIAC Postseason Tournament game since the tournament had been enacted in 2008, and this year ran the gauntlet of an eight-team field in order to secure a bid to the big dance. The Purple & Gold boasted the SCIAC Athlete of the Year in White, marking the first time Whittier has had the player of the year since Patti Palmer '89. The Poets also had a Second Team All-SCIAC selection in James, who will return next year along with Leach and nine of their teammates as they embark on a quest to repeat as postseason tournament champions.

"We play for each other and we want it for each other," James said. "I think that's the biggest thing this group has in common. You can't teach that. It's something innate you just have to have."

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