WHITTIER, CA. (Dec. 20th, 2023)- The Purple and Gold played host to Benedictine University in today's Wednesday afternoon matinee matchup. Whittier came out hot and had a firm control of this game for the majority of it. The Eagles made a strong push at the end, but the Poets' mighty defense was able to hang on and earn the 65-58 victory. 

The Poets came out of the tip on a mission; they quickly took the lead and never looked back. They opened the game on a 12-2 run, before the Eagles were able to fight their way back into the match. The ladies shot lights out in this first quarter, going 53% from the field and 42% from behind the arc. Whittier held a 19-15 lead at the end of the period. 

As the second began, Whittier once again took a stand early. They established a 9 point advantage about a minute into the period. Benedictine would not go away though and eventually tied the game up at 27. Whittier kept pushing through and the teams were tied at 34 at the half. 

The third period was the big one for the Poets. After surrendering the lead for the first time the entire game, the girls turned up and created a gap between them and the Eagles. Rhe Nae Leach (Riverside, Calif., John W. North) went on a scoring frenzy this period, nearly outscoring the entire Benedictine team, with her 10 points. Whittier started to play their game this period, as head coach Roy Dow stated, "we had a long break, sometimes it takes a little time to get your feet back under you and we began to do that in the second half". The Poets defense really showed up to play this quarter coming away with 5 steals and 2 blocks. 

Going into the final period Whittier had a 52-45 lead. With about 4 minutes left in the game, the girls had put an 11 point gap between them and the Eagles. This game looked like it was sealed in Whittier's favor, but Benedictine had one final push. The Eagles pushed back hard and came within 2 points of the Poets, but eventually Whittier resettled and claimed a 65-58 victory. 

Coach Dow said after the game, "This game was good for us and tomorrow's game will be good as well. After a long break it will be good to get back into the swing of things. We lost a little focus there at the end, but in our timeout our players stepped up and rallied to get everyone playing for each other again. As long as we are playing our game and controlling how the pace is moving we are a scary team". 

The Poets were led by Leach's remarkable game of 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Lainie James (La Habra, Calif., Sonora, Concordia University Irvine) once again was a workhorse, playing all 40 minutes and contributing  21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Whittier showed a remarkable defensive presence tonight forcing 25 Benedictine turnovers, and finishing with 15 steals and 8 blocks. The Poets will look to continue this strong play tomorrow as they travel to Bakersfield to take on the Roadrunners in an exhibition game. This game will tip off at 1:00 at CSU Bakersfield.