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Los Angeles, CA — Women's basketball played the Whittier College Poets in a SCIAC matchup on Saturday afternoon in Rush Gymnasium. 

The Tigers started the game playing strong defense and preventing Whittier from getting any good looks at the basket. Oxy was able to go on a 6-0 run with Gabriela Etopio making a layup before Ainsley Shelsta scored the team's next 4 points. 

After Whittier responded with a basket of their own, Dara Tokeshi knocked down a 3-pointer for Oxy and the Tiger lead was extended to 9-2. Tokeshi would make two more 3's in the quarter before it would end with Oxy up by 6 points. 

Tokeshi and Dominique Cabading would make 3-pointers in the 2nd quarter that put Oxy up 24-14. The lead would grow to as large as 13 points after Toni Thompson scored a layup in the paint. Whittier would cut slightly into the lead to end the half only down 9 points by a score of 31-22. 

Whittier would come out strong in the 3rd quarter by going on a 8-1 scoring run before Amaia McCoy would end it by making a layup. Thompson would make another layup as well to put Oxy up 39-32 but the Poets kept battling to remain in the game. Whitter closed the quarter on a 9-3 run to trail by only one point to end the 3rd quarter. 

Whittier would knock down a 3-pointer to start the quarter and take the lead. The Tigers kept battling to keep the game within 2 or 3 points but the Poets were starting to find better looks at the basket and capitalizing on them. Whittier would go on a run and eventually win the game by a score of 61-50. 

Toni Thompson led the Tigers in scoring in the game with 14 points and also grabbed 5 rebounds. Ainsley Shelsta and Dara Tokeshi each scored 13 points for Oxy, with Tokeshi making 4 3-pointers in the game. Shelsta had a double-double, also totaling 13 rebounds with 3 of them being offensive rebounds. 

Gabriela Etopio and Dominique Cabading were finding open teammates for scores as they each had 4 assists. With the loss the Tigers are now 1-1 in SCIAC play and will next play on Saturday, December 16th against the Caltech Beavers on the road at 4:00pm.