WHITTIER, Ca. – The UC Santa Cruz women's basketball team fell to 1-3 on the season following a 63-56 loss to the Whittier Poets on Friday night. The Banana Slugs rallied late, outscoring the Poets 21-15 in the fourth quarter but fell just short in the comeback attempt. Ariel Anderson led the team with 18 points and six rebounds while Alyssa Jackson scored 17 points with four rebounds. The Slugs will be back in action Sunday at 2:00 p.m. when they take on the Caltech Beavers in Pasadena, Ca.
 
How It Happened
The Poets scored first and jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before Jenna Gorton and Talysha Wilkerson closed the gap to 8-7 with two free throws from Gorton and a Wilkerson three. Whittier managed to control pace for the rest of the first, taking a 16-11 lead into the second quarter.
 
UCSC erased the deficit quickly in the second with an Emilie Ngo three and Ariel Anderson layup, tying the contest at 16-16 before Anderson drove in the paint for another two points, putting the Slugs up 18-16. Whittier managed to rally back and build a nine point lead at 32-23 heading into halftime.
 
The Poets controlled the opening three minutes after the break, extending their lead to 15 points at 40-25. Whittier continued to pressure, building an 18 point lead at 48-30 but two free throws from Anderson and a three from Jackson closed the gap to 13 points heading into the fourth quarter.
 
UC Santa Cruz was strong in the fourth quarter as Wilkerson, Anderson, and Jackson all chimed in to cut the lead to 52-42. The Slugs pulled within six points with 3:04 left on the clock and did it once more with 30 seconds to go but couldn't find the answer as the Poets held on for the 63-56 victory.