WHITTIER, Calif. – Whittier College women's basketball opened its 2026-27 season in commanding fashion, defeating the Bethesda University Lion Angels 73-40 in its home opener at Dave Jacobs Court. The Poets jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back, using a strong defensive performance and a dominant fourth quarter to secure their first victory of the season.
Whittier wasted little time establishing control, scoring the game's first 12 points while holding Bethesda scoreless for much of the opening quarter. Freshman
Lesina Afu got the Poets on the board with a jumper following her own steal before
Kennedy Perkins,
Shushan Krikorian, Armani Owens and
Delaney Castagna contributed baskets to build a 10-0 advantage.
After Bethesda broke through offensively,
Aliya Latif connected from beyond the arc to extend Whittier's lead to 16-5. Perkins followed with a layup before Krikorian turned a steal into a fastbreak basket. Two free throws from Perkins in the closing seconds gave the Poets a 22-5 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The Poets continued their offensive success early in the second period, with Krikorian scoring consecutive baskets to increase the lead to 26-5. Latif then knocked down her second three-pointer of the afternoon, and Castagna added a basket in the paint to push Whittier's advantage to 31-8.
Bethesda began finding its rhythm midway through the quarter, putting together a 6-2 run to trim the deficit to 33-14. However, freshman Aliyah Lopez provided an immediate spark off the bench, scoring back-to-back layups to restore a 23-point cushion.
The Lion Angels closed the half with an 8-2 stretch, including a three-pointer in the final seconds, but Whittier entered the locker room holding a comfortable 39-22 lead.
Bethesda carried some of that momentum into the third quarter, scoring seven of the first 10 points to narrow the gap to 42-29. The Poets responded by tightening their defense, while Krikorian converted a second-chance opportunity to push the score to 44-29.
Both teams struggled to find consistent offense throughout the remainder of the period. Perkins added a free throw before
Yaneli Rosales Beltran collected an offensive rebound and converted a layup in the closing minute. Bethesda answered with a basket, leaving Whittier ahead 47-33 entering the final quarter.
With the Lion Angels having cut the lead to 12 early in the fourth, the Poets delivered their strongest stretch of the afternoon.
Perkins sparked the surge with two free throws and a putback layup before Afu and
Jayden Borgna converted consecutive fastbreak opportunities. Perkins added another basket, and Krikorian followed with a jumper to extend Whittier's advantage to 59-37.
The Poets continued to capitalize on Bethesda turnovers, with Castagna,
Lanakila Nitta, Afu and Owens combining for eight unanswered points. Owens' fastbreak layup pushed the lead to 67-37, giving Whittier its first 30-point advantage of the game.
Whittier maintained control down the stretch, with Lopez adding another second-chance basket before Castagna capped the scoring for the Poets with a layup in the final minute.
The Poets outscored Bethesda 26-7 in the fourth quarter, turning a competitive second half into a convincing 73-40 victory.
Whittier begins the 2026-27 season 1-0 and will travel to face La Sierra University on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3:00 p.m. for its first road contest of the season.
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