THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran saw all five of their starters reach double-digit scoring, but the talented Poets of Whittier managed to slip past the Regals 75-70, Saturday afternoon inside Gilbert Arena.
The Regals (6-11, 3-6 SCIAC) shot a respectable 42.6% from the field and hit 10 three-pointers. Cal Lutheran committed 20 turnovers which marks the third time this season they have recorded 20 or more turnovers.
The Poets (13-6, 7-2 SCIAC) shot 43.9% from the floor and knocked down seven shots from beyond the arc. Whittier handled the ball well and only committed nine turnovers on the day.
Mackenzy Iwahashi led the Regals offensively with 15 points and also dished out five assists. Forwards Haley Tyrell and Cameron Mallory each recorded a double-double in the contest. Tyrell notched her second consecutive double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Mallory dropped 10 points and hit two three-pointers while pulling down 10 rebounds.
Natalie Ruhl chipped in with 13 points and Jozie Tangeman finished in double figures for the seventh straight game with 14 points in the game.
Mallory opened the contest with a three-pointer on the team's first possession. A layup from Iwahashi momentarily gave CLU a three-point lead but Whittier would regroup to eventually lead 18-15 after the first quarter.
The Poets quickly extended their lead to seven points in the second period but the Regals fought back to make it just a three-point lead (28-25) at the break. Taylor Oshiro made a layup with less than a minute left in the half to give her team some momentum heading into halftime.
Cal Lutheran cut the lead to just one point in the third period but another quick run from the visitors put them up by eight points. The Regals put together another nice run, including a three from Tyrell, but the turning point in the game came when the Poets rallied for an 8-0 run in the final minute of the quarter to give themselves a sizable advantage going into the fourth quarter.
The Regals would cut the lead to three points in the final quarter, but couldn't quite ever grab a foothold and the Poets would make some free throws down the stretch to grab a 75-70 win on the road.
Cal Lutheran looks to rebound in SCIAC play when they travel to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to face the Athenas on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 70, WC 75
Sport Twitter: @CLUwBasketball
CLU Instagram: CLUSports
Sport Instagram: @regals_basketball
CLU Twitter: CLUSports
CLU Facebook: CLUSports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3
Release by Jeff Rebello, Assistant Sports Information Director
