WHITTIER, Calif. (Jan. 11, 2024) – Senior guard
Rhe Nae Leach (Moreno Valley, Calif. / John W. North) of the Whittier College women's basketball team showed why she is one of the SCIAC's elite players in Saturday afternoon's victory against the University of La Verne. The win moves the Poets to 4-0 in conference play.
Leach and the Poets had the task of defending the perimeter shooting-happy Leopards; a team that takes a plenty of three's, even for a conference filled with teams that excel from the outside. While the Leopards made life hard on the Poets early with their three-point shooting, Leach and the Poet rallied, and controlled the game for the final three and a half quarters after opening the game to the tune of a 13-4 deficit. However, the Poets wound up outscoring the Leopards in that opening period, finishing on a 14-0 run where five unique Whittier players registered points.
However, the fourth quarter belonged to Whittier's star guard who scored 12 of her 24 points in the last frame without exiting the game. She wasn't just impressive in the scoring department -- Leach also had seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists in the final period where she needed to be a closer for her team. She delivered, with the Poets winning the fourth quarter by a four-point margin (23-19).
Despite Leach's impressive finish and double-double (24 points, 14 rebounds), classmate
Lorita Salloom (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Saugus / College of the Canyons) also double-doubled with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman
Jordan Taylor (Oakland, Calif. / Oakland Technical) also continued her impressive run of form with 12 points off the bench with Whittier opting for more size to open the game. Sophomore
Yaneli Rosales (San Diego, Calif. / Mount Miguel) continued her smooth transition to being a full-blown point guard with six assists, and senior center
Camryn Beaver (Chesapeake Beach, Md. / Northern) pulled down seven rebounds off the bench.
Head Coach Kristen Dowling and the unbeaten Poets will put their 4-0 SCIAC record on the line against fellow unbeaten Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Wednesday night in the Graham Athletic Center.
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