WHITTIER, Calif. (Feb. 14, 2024) – Junior
Lulu Salloom (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Saugus / College of the Canyons) helped lead a valiant effort for the Whittier College women's basketball team against first-place California Lutheran University, but the Regals mounted a late comeback to earn a 55-54 victory over the Poets in the penultimate home game of the 2023-24 season.
Whittier made an early statement, holding Cal Lutheran to nary a three-pointer through the game's first 10 minutes while generating a handful of takeaways throughout the contest. The Regals turned the ball over 20 times in all, with Poets players directly responsible for half of them. Of those 10 turnovers, junior guard
Rhe Nae Leach had five of them, disrupting the visitors early and often to throw them out of an early rhythm. Whittier went on to lead Cal Lutheran, 31-22 at the half, bottling up a typically potent Regals offense in the process. Over that stretch, the Poets saw great success in both transition and with their shot selection in the half court. Additionally, junior
Faith Boulanger made her Whittier debut, giving the home team a legitimate shot in the arm off the bunch, both with and without the ball in her hands.
As things progressed, the Regals began to find more comfort as the Whittier offense hit a snag, though there were plenty of positives for the Poets to take away. They assisted on 14 of 20 field goals, and four different Poets found their way into double-figures. Senior guard
Citlalli Gurrola got there entirely on three-pointers, while senior forward
Lainie James did a little bit of everything, bringing the home fans to their feet with a move she made on a Cal Lutheran defender in the low post. Both players finished with 12 and 10 points respectively. Leach, meanwhile, led all Whittier players with 14 points and five assists.
As time wound down, things seemed to be trending positively for the Poets. A clutch jumper from Leach put the Poets back up two possessions with just four minutes remaining, while Salloom proved to be the rebounding maven down the stretch she's been for the Poets all season long. However, tough baskets on consecutive gave the Regals one more advantage, putting the pressure back on the Poets. Whittier responded well initially, forcing another stop of its own to get the ball back before Leach drew a foul underneath the Regals' basket. However, with Cal Lutheran having a foul to give and the infraction coming of the floor, Leach would be rewarded with an inbound play rather than free throws. With limited time to work, the Poets ran out of time after narrowly missing out on what would have been their most significant win of the SCIAC slate.
Looking ahead, Head Coach
Roy Dow and the Poets have a murky path to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. They will need to defeat Caltech in the final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb.17 approximately one month after the Beavers shot the lights out and stunned the Poets in Pasadena. The hotly anticipated rematch will take place at 7 p.m., resulting in the culmination of PAC the GAC.
The Poets are in contention for the fourth and final postseason tournament spot with Chapman University, as well as the University of Redlands. There will be no path to the postseason, however, if Whittier falls to Caltech. The Poets are currently locked in a three-way tie with their two SCIAC foes, and should the three teams remained tied after Saturday, the Bulldogs would hold the tiebreaker thanks to a 3-1 combined record against Whittier and Chapman this season. Should the Poets win and one of Chapman or Redlands come out of Saturday victorious, the tiebreaker will come down to best record against the highest placed team until the tie is broken.
Given the fact that first place remains up for grabs heading into the final weekend of the season, the Poets' clearest path to the postseason lies in a Saturday victory paired with Chapman and Redlands defeats. Either way, the Poets will have a better idea of where they stand in the postseason race when they take the court on Saturday night, as both Chapman and Redlands will play at 4 p.m. A positive for the Poets? Chapman and Redlands are set to play the University of La Verne and Occidental College respectively, two teams that are locked into SCIAC Postseason Tournament slots with plenty still to play for.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
