ORANGE, Calif. (Jan. 8, 2024) – Senior guard
Rhe Nae Leach (Moreno Valley, Calif. / John W. North) of the Whittier College women's basketball team made a tremendous impact with and without the ball in her hands as the Poets took down Chapman University, 74-66, on the road Wednesday evening. The 74 points are the team's most since the Poets' victory over Bushnell University back in November.
Leach, along with classmate
Lorita Salloom (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Saugus / College of the Canyons), double-doubled with points and rebounds. Leach went 19-10-4 while Salloom went 18-13-2. However, when it comes to Leach, she was every bit as impressive off the ball in defensive situations. She was able to generate four blocks and a pair of steals that helped limit the Panthers, a perimeter team, to under 35 percent from deep.
Leach was not the only Poet to make an impact in their return to the lineup. Senior guard
Kristen Lopez (Lancaster, Calif. / Lancaster / Elmhurst University), who has been the Poets' most consistent perimeter shooter this season, returned to the lineup for the first time in two weeks and connected on three treys to counteract the Panthers' five-out efforts. Freshman
Jordan Taylor (Oakland, Calif. / Oakland Technical), the Poets' leading scorer against Nelson University last week, hit a pair of three's of her own, including one in the fourth quarter to put her team up by eight points with less than five minutes to go.
Leading 39-31 at halftime behind a massive 29-point first quarter, the Poets had to overcome some adversity after Chapman got hot from deep and ended up tying the game in the third quarter. While Salloom keyed the offense early with 12 of her 18 points coming in the first half, Leach came on strong down the stretch, and the senior's combination of her athleticism and pressure-based style with and without the ball in her hands proved too difficult for the Panthers to overcome. As a result, Whittier now sits at the top of the SCIAC standings at a perfect 3-0.
Head Coach
Kristen Dowling and the Poets will look to stay perfect in SCIAC play when they host the University of La Verne (0-3 SCIAC) on Saturday Jan. 11 at 2 p.m.
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