Women's Basketball team earns first win of the season

Issue 12, Joseph Marlitt, Women's Basketball, Sports - By Joseph Marlitt on Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 04:07

The Whittier women’s basketball team secured its first win of the season against Linfield College with a 76-69 win. The Poets, who had lost their first three contests of the season, shot 46 percent from 3-point land as they erased an early 7-point deficit to overcome the Wildcats in the second half.

The Poets’ well-balanced offense was in full display as four players scored in double digits. Junior forward Alex Coon led the Poets with 19 points after going 6-17 from the floor and 7-10 from the free-throw line. The 5’11” center, the Poets’ leader in points per game, proved too much to handle for the Linfield defense as she also scooped up 11 rebounds including five on the offensive glass.

The game was wide open during the first half as both teams exchanged the lead, but the Poets fell behind at the 10 minute mark by 7 points, which would be the largest lead of the first half for either team. Yet the Poets repeatedly closed the gap, regaining the lead with a minute left in the half and going into half time with a 30-28 lead.

The Poets came out in the second with a renewed offensive spirit however, as they opened up a 7-point lead only three minutes into the half as Coon scored 5 quick points in the half. The bench for the Poets also found life as they scored 14 points during the half led by sophomore guard Danielle Quinones who tallied 10 points and shot 4-4 during the quarter, including both of her 3-point attempts.

However, the Wildcats would not be put away easily as they rallied continually behind their dual scoring threat of senior Gretchen Owens and sophomore Kaely Maltman. The two players scored 52 of the team’s 69 points, with Maltman scoring a game-high 29 points with an impressive 11-13 shooting from the field. Owens contributed 23 points and also dragged in eight rebounds.

Team defense was also tight for the Poets who guarded the perimeter well, allowing Linfield to shoot only 26 percent from three-point range during the game and only 37 percent from the field. Four Linfield players were held without points during the game, combining to go 0-11 from the floor. The Poets have held opponents this year to 34.4 percent from the field, while averaging 39 percent shooting over the first four games.

Senior guard Brittany Aranda had a well-rounded game with an efficient 7-14 shooting from the field and along with seven rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Monica Salazar also contributed to the well-rounded attack, scoring 12 points, which included three 3-point shots.

The Poets continue action when they play UC Santa Cruz on Friday, Dec. 2 in the away teams tournament. The Banana Slugs are experiencing their own struggles with three consecutive losses coming into the tournament and an average point differential of nearly 15. The Poets also play Saturday, Dec. 3 against Menlo in the same tournament at UC Santa Cruz, a team that beat UC Santa Cruz 80-50.