Whittier Edges CMS Women's Basketball in Defensive Battle 53-46

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team saw an inspired effort from its second unit, which combined for 32 points, but Whittier was able to hold off a second-half comeback effort and take a 53-46 win over the Athenas on Monday evening at Roberts Pavilion.

Flora Durgerian came up with a team-high 12 points off the bench for CMS, which slips to 4-9 overall and 2-3 in the SCIAC with the loss. Whittier, which received 24 points on 5-6 shooting from three from Lainie James, moves to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league play with the win. 

Mary Markaryan added eight points and nine rebounds off the CMS bench and helped spark the second-half rally. The Athenas trailed 27-23 at the half, and saw its deficit swell to 10 points in the first four minutes of the second half, as the Poets surged ahead 34-24. 

At that point, head coach Chanel Murchison switched out all five players, and the new unit (Durgerian, Markaryan, Sadie Heckman, Elizabeth Howell-Egan, and starter Jocelyn Song) rattled off nine straight points to close the deficit to just one point. Heckman started the rally with a three-pointer, and Durgerian followed with a three-point play to make it a 34-30 game.  Heckman was then fouled and split two foul shots, and Markaryan outworked everyone for a contested offensive rebound and put it back in to pull the Athenas within just a single point. 

James, though, responded with a three-pointer to restore the four-point lead for Whittier heading into the fourth quarter. She added another one to stretch the lead to 41-35 and a Rhe Nae Leach shot with 5:12 left matched the largest Poet lead of the game at 47-37.

CMS had one final rally as Austyn Masuno scored  and Durgerian followed with a three-pointer to close the deficit to 47-42 with 4:18 to go, but James, who hit her last five three-point attempts on the day, hit another big one to stretch the Poet lead to 50-42, and CMS wasn't able to get closer than seven the rest of the way.

Durgerian finished 4-8 from the floor and 3-6 from three-point territory for her 12 points, while Markaryan added three steals to her eight points and nine rebounds. Teani White added a strong stat line for Whittier with 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

CMS will be back in action on Wednesday when it entertains Cal Lutheran for a 7 p.m. game at Roberts Pavilion