HONOLULU  The 22nd-ranked Whitman women broke open a tight game against University of Redlands Tuesday night at the Hoops in Hawaii Classic, outscoring the Bulldogs in the final 20 minutes by 16 points to register a 63-42 non-conference victory that keeps The Blues unbeaten on the season.

Whitman (11-0) and Redlands (3-6) battled through a first quarter during which the teams traded the lead three times and stood even twice, including at the end of the quarter knotted up at 14-14.

The battle continued into the second quarter, but with the score tied at 21-21 The Blues initiated a 9-2 run on a layup and one from Lily Gustafson. Alysse Ketner and Maegen Martin added layups and the quick burst was capped by a jumper from Caitlin Mazzoleni.

By the halftime break Whitman's advantage had been trimmed to five, 30-25, but The Blues were just getting started.

The advantage never dipped below five during the third quarter, which ended on a Casey Poe jumper that pushed the Whitman lead into double digits at 47-36.

At that point it was the Whitman defense's turn to put its mark on the game.

Over the final 10 minutes of action the Blues allowed the Bulldogs to tickle the netting just three times -- one 3-pointer, one jumper, and one free throw. Whitman forced six turnovers and netted seven points off those opportunities.

Throughout the game The Blues dominated the paint, pouring in 42 of its points from in close.

Poe finished with 15 points for Whitman and tied Ketner for team honors on the glass with six rebounds apiece. Ketner added 12 points, while Chelsi Brewer hit a trio of 3-pointers on the way to a 13-point evening.

Redlands' Reyna Ta'amu provided the majority of the offense for her team, coming up with 15 points while no other teammate scored more than seven.

The Blues take a break from competition over the holidays then return to the hard court to jump back into their Northwest Conference schedule on January 6, 2017, with a league game against visiting Linfield College.