WHITTIER, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2024) – The Whittier College women's basketball team's season came to an end on Saturday night in a high stakes matchup with Caltech on an eventful night for Whittier Athletics.
Whittier brought back PAC the GAC for the final weekend of the basketball season, and prior to the game, senior guard
Rhe Nae Leach's (Riverside, Calif. / John W. North) 1,000-point milestone was commemorated with the presentation of a personalized game ball. Additionally, the seven senior members of this year's team were recognized prior to the game:
Lainie James (La Habra, Calif. / Sonora / Concordia University Irvine),
Bella Robles (Lompoc, Calif. / Lompoc),
Citlalli Gurrola (San Diego, Calif. / Mount Miguel / Miles CC | UNLV),
Abby Pagila (Oakland, Calif. / Bishop O'Dowd),
Natalia Williams (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Chaparral),
Ilani Avila (Downey, Calif. / Downey Cerritos College), and
Melanie Meza (San Pedro, Calif. / Mary Star of the Sea / El Camino College).
Saturday night's game was a rematch of a game played between the Poets and Beavers last month in which the Beavers displayed excellent outside shooting to go along with a defensive gameplan that gave the Poets problems. However, Saturday's rematch would have heightened stakes, at least for the Poets. With the University of Redlands beating Occidental College and Chapman University falling to the University of La Verne earlier in the day, Head Coach
Roy Dow and the Poets found themselves in a win-and-you're-in scenario with a return to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament hanging in the balance.
In the early going, Whittier looked poised to make good on the heightened stakes and seal a trip back to the postseason tournament. They held Caltech scoreless through the game's first three minutes, though found it every bit as tough to mount its own offense against a stout Caltech defense. Whittier's scoring woes continued throughout the first half, but something clicked for the Poets in a third quarter in which they scored 27 of their 47 points for the game. Leach, who attempted just one shot in the first half, came alive in a big way with 13 points over this stretch, getting it done both with jump shots in the half court as well as breakaways on the fast break. Junior forward
Faith Boulanger (Burbank, Calif. John Burroughs / Glendale CC | Cal State San Bernardino) also contributed heavily during this stretch, with seven points in just four minutes of action.
Heading into the final quarter, Whittier led Caltech by one point, setting up a sprint to the finish with a SCIAC Postseason Tournament appearance still firmly within reach. However, much like they did in the two teams' previous meeting in Pasadena, Caltech received clutch scoring from some of its top shooters as the Poets' offensive momentum came to a screeching halt. Leach led the way for Whittier with 16 points, while junior
Lulu Salloom (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Saugus / College of the Canyons) came away with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Poets flirted with becoming a nationally-recognized force at different points in the season. They came within striking distance of knocking off then-No. 1 New York University on the road back in November, and later traveled to NCAA Division I California State University Bakersfield where they nearly upset the Roadrunners in an exhibition game. Whittier rode the momentum to a sterling start to their SCIAC schedule, and over the first half looked to be poised for a SCIAC Postseason Tournament appearance. However, late-season adversity would ultimately put those plans on hold, though with Leach and Salloom currently slated to return in the winter, it may not take much for Whittier to return to its dominant ways in the near future.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
