WHITTIER - Amanda Inserra tied her career high with 30 points as UC Santa Cruz held off Whittier 67-63 on Sunday afternoon.
UC Santa Cruz improved to 2-0 on the season. It broke a three-game losing streak to the Poets (0-1).

Inserra tied the school records for three-point makes and attempts, going 9-16 from behind the arc. She shot 10-17 from the field, tied the team high with seven rebounds, and added a block and a steal.
 
The Banana Slugs played tight throughout. In the third quarter, a pair of Inserra threes and one by Ashley Kowack produced a 9-2 run that broke a tie and gave UC Santa Cruz a 46-39 lead. The Poets came back to tie it up at 49-all with 0:42 left, but a pair of Kowack steals and two free-throws by Lindsay Zientek gave the Banana Slugs a 51-49 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
The teams played close again in the fourth, but UC Santa Cruz went on a 6-0 run capped by a Tess Oakley-Stilson steal and layup for their most significant lead at 63-54 with 1:46 left. A three-pointer brought Whittier to within 63-60 with 19 seconds left, but UC Santa Cruz went 4-4 from the line in the final seconds to extinguish the comeback.
Kowack finished with 18 points in the win, going 4-10 from three. The Banana Slugs shot 22-58 (37.9%) from the field and 10-14 (71.4%) from free throws. Whittier shot 23-54 (42.6%) on field goals but was 6-8 from the line. Rhe Nae Leach led the Poets with 30 points and eight rebounds.