Box Score

WHITTIER, Calif. - The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team won its fourth straight game and took the title of the Purple & Gold Poet Classic by beating host school Whittier (Calif.) by a 86-56 score on Friday (Dec. 30).

IWU improved to 7-4 with the win while Whittier slipped to 2-8.

Illinois Wesleyan held a modest 32-30 lead with 2:16 to play in the first half before extending the margin to 37-32 at halftime. But after intermission, IWU held the Poets scoreless for the first 4:05 of the second half while going on a 13-0 run to take an insurmountable 50-32 lead with 15:55 to go in the game.

Senior Olivia Lett was named as the tournament's "Most Valuable Player" and was joined by junior Melissa Gardner on the six-player all-tournament team.

Against the Poets, Gardner led IWU in scoring with 19 points and Lett added 16 points with five assists. Sophomore Shelby Jackson scored 13 in the win.

Illinois Wesleyan made 31 of 70 from the field (44 percent) and connected on eight of 17 3-point field goal attempts (47 percent) while making 16 of 22 free throws (73 percent).

Whittier shot 38 percent (28 of 53) from the field and made two of nine (22 percent) from 3-point range. The Poets made 14 if their 22 free throw attempts (64 percent).

IWU forced 26 Whittier turnovers while committing 17 and the Titans had a 44-37 rebounding edge as Lett grabbed seven and sophomore Whitney Scurlock got five.

Alex Coon scored 14 and Brittany Aranda had 13 for Whittier.

The Titans open College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play on Wednesday, Jan. 4, with a 5 p.m. game against Wheaton.