WHITTIER, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2023) – Talented juniors
Rhe Nae Leach (Riverside, Calif. / John W. North) and
Lulu Salloom (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Saugus / College of the Canyons) helped navigate the Whittier College women's basketball team through a tough stretch against the University of Redlands on Saturday evening, one that saw the Poets come away with a 59-56 victory in overtime.
The visiting Bulldogs entered Saturday's contest as the defending SCIAC Postseason Tournament champions, and figure to be a factor in this year's four-team postseason tournament picture as they have been in recent years. Nevertheless, the Poets showed they can come out on top against tough conference competition for the second time this week, having already defeated defending SCIAC regular season champions the University of La Verne earlier this week on the road.
While Whittier would eventually come on top, the road to the finish line was one rife with adversity. The host Poets struggled to find an offensive groove early, but kept the visiting Bulldogs within close proximity early thanks to stout defensive play that never dissipated. However, in Redlands, Whittier found an opponent that more closely mirrored themselves than other recent SCIAC foes, and thus found themselves well scouted throughout the first three quarters of Saturday's game. It wasn't until the final quarter the Leach and Salloom-led Poets were able to really turn on the jets offensively and force overtime with an experienced and tested team. They also needed to overcome Leach, Salloom, and another key contributor in senior forward
Lainie James (La Habra, Calif. / Sonora / Concordia University Irvine) balancing their aggressive defensive stance with early foul trouble.
By the fourth quarter, the Poets seemed to have the Bulldogs figured out, and held them to just seven points over the final 10 minutes while scoring 14 of their own. Leach, who has quickly transformed herself into an All-American candidate, carried plenty of the offensive burden and attempted 27 shots for the game, but her perseverance on the offensive end would pay off with her finishing the game with a 25-12-1 line with six of her rebounds coming on the offensive end. Salloom matched her teammate with not only six rebounds, but with a double-double, scoring 14 points to go with 16 rebounds.
Trailing 43-36 entering the final quarter, Leach quickly attempted to right the wrong with a layup just seconds into the period that cut the Bulldogs lead to five. The Poets began to chip away from there, with a three-pointer from senior guard
Citlalli Gurrola (San Diego, Calif. / Mount Miguel Miles CC | UNLV) trimming the Bulldogs' lead to just two points less than a minute into the frame. While the Poets did not immediately catch the Bulldogs on this scoring run, they did manage to plant enough doubt in the minds of the visiting team that enabled them to climb back into the game when the opportunity presented itself a few minutes later. When it seemed like the Poets hit an offensive drought that threatened to cost them the game, their ability to generate quick turnovers and afford themselves extra offensive chances ultimately paid off, with Salloom forcing a picture-perfect steal with just over a minute to go. She would finish the ensuing offensive possession when junior guard
Abby Pagila (Oakland, Calif. / Bishop O'Dowd) found her for a mid-range jumper from about the free throw line that tied the game at 50, sending things into overtime.
Having now erased a seven-point deficit, the Poets just needed to show they could beat the Bulldogs in one more five-minute interval. The home team got off the a favorable start, holding the Bulldogs scoreless through the first 90 seconds while adding three points themselves. However, timely free throws would put the Bulldogs back up by one point, setting the stage for what was to come. Leach connected on a jumper that put the Poets back up by one before James came through with a bomb from three-point land that while not quite a "dagger," put the Bulldogs on wobbly legs and forced them to foul on the ensuing possession. Redlands would force up one more shot, and great ensuing ball movement from the likes of Salloom, Gurrola and Pagila helped the Poets ultimately stave off their toughest SCIAC challenge to date.
Pagila, who has shown game-over-game improvement this year as a starting factor for the Poets, continued her breakout with an eight point, eight assist game while committing just one turnover.
Head Coach
Roy Dow and the Poets will use the week to prepare for a tricky Caltech team set to host them on Saturday, Jan. 13 at approximately 4 p.m.
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