WHITTIER, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2025) – Thanks to a stout defensive effort against a game Pomona-Pitzer Colleges team on the road, the Whittier College women's basketball team stamped their ticket to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament on Wednesday evening.
The Poets will return to the conference postseason tournament for the first time since they won it back in 2021-22. While it wasn't easy by any means, the Poets defeated the Sagehens, 56-51 to complete the season sweep.
With the Purple & Gold entering Wednesday night shorthanded, it took an incredible effort from its starting five to hold off a Pomona-Pitzer team known for shooting the deep ball. However, the Poets were able to not only stifle the Sagehens from deep -- they held them to collective 30 shooting from the field while doubling them up at the free throw line. Senior guard
Rhe Nae Leach was held in check from the field, but made up for it with a 10-for-10 night at the free throw line. Senior forward
Lorita Salloom, the reigning SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Week, was the more efficient player from the field, shooting nearly 50 percent en route to a team-high 21 points.
Whereas Leach and Salloom would dominate the rebounding in past games, Wednesday night saw every member of the Poets' starting five step up and pull down key rebounds. While no one Poet had more than 10 on the night, everybody did their part to help the visitors outrebound their SCIAC foes 45-31 -- a huge difference maker in the result of the game. Senior forward
Faith Boulanger led all Poets with nine boards, while freshman forward
Kennedy Perkins had eight while setting a career high in minutes with 31.
The Poets have been no stranger to ugly games this season. In fact, Whittier has fallen just one time this season when holding opponents to 51 points or fewer. However, Wednesday required the Poets to go to a place defensively they haven't yet gone to this season, and in spurts, they were able to completely neutralize anything Pomona-Pitzer could do offensively. Whititer held the host Sagehens to just five second quarter points, and with an 11-point halftime lead, the Poets were able to hold the Sagehens off and overcome them in the game's final minutes to move their SCIAC record to a perfect 11-0.
Head Coach Kristen Dowling and the Poets will look to continue their incredible march toward securing the top seed in the postseason tournament when they host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
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