RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Whittier College women's basketball team picked up its second win of the season on Sunday, defeating La Sierra 69-58 on the road. Kennedy Perkins and Shushan Krikorian scored 13 points apiece to lead the Poets, who never trailed.

Lesina Afu scored twice in the opening minutes to help Whittier jump out to a 6-0 lead. La Sierra pulled even at 8-8, but Xochitl Hood broke the tie with a layup.

With the Poets up 12-10, Armani Owens scored inside, Perkins hit a 3-pointer, and Delaney Castagna added a layup to close the quarter on a 7-0 run.

La Sierra scored the first seven points of the second quarter to get within two. Alexia Valencia answered with a 3-pointer to put Whittier ahead 25-17, but La Sierra came right back and cut the deficit to one with 1:40 left in the half.

Owens made two free throws, and Hood finished a layup before Krikorian knocked down a three as time expired, sending the Poets into halftime with a 32-25 lead.

Afu opened the second half with a 3-pointer to stretch the margin to double digits. La Sierra got within nine at 39-30 before Castagna and Hood scored on consecutive possessions.

Helen Rosales Beltran followed with a three to give Whittier its largest lead at 46-30. The Poets held La Sierra to 4-for-20 shooting in the third quarter and took a 48-35 advantage into the fourth.

Whittier led 56-41 with just over five minutes remaining, but La Sierra scored seven straight to make it an eight-point game. Aliya Latif stopped the run with a 3-pointer, and Perkins and Aliyah Lopez each added a layup in the final two minutes.

La Sierra closed within seven with 27 seconds left, but Yaneli Rosales Beltran and Krikorian each made a pair of free throws to seal the win.

Perkins added six rebounds to her 13 points, while Afu finished with 11 points and six boards. Owens contributed eight points and five rebounds, and Jayden Borgna led Whittier with four assists.

The Poets improved to 2-0 and will return to Dave Jacobs Court to host Life Pacific University on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11:30 a.m. Catch all the action on FloCollege.

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