SPORTS | Vol. 24, Issue 07 | 2

Mathis & Rosales Beltran Keep Poets in Playoff Hunt

While many Poets returned home for the holidays, the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams dove into the thick of their season. The Men’s team played eight games over winter break, three of which were conference games, and the Women’s team totaled seven games, also completing three SCIAC matches. Through high anticipations from the successful 2024-25 season, and the fresh new rosters both teams brought to the court this season, this break has shown what can be expected from the teams as they storm through the rest of their games.

Jaden Mathis, a fourth-year forward and Men’s captain, along with Yaneli Rosales Beltran, a third-year guard and Women’s captain, breaks down the teams’ latest developments. The Men’s team is holding onto their fourth place in the conference with the Women’s team trailing behind in seventh after some tough losses, unfortunate injuries, and hopeful wins for both teams.

The teams spent the last days of 2025 playing at the D3 Hoops Las Vegas Classic. The tournament gave the teams the opportunity to play against schools of varying levels. The Men’s team finished with a 1-1 record, finding a 70-67 victory against Amherst College, which originally held a steady 8-1 record.

“We took it really seriously because it was a big chance to send a message to everyone else,” Mathis says, “It was the only game that day, so all of the media and attention was on us.”

Unfortunately, for Rosales Beltran, the Vegas tournament meant cheering from the bench after fracturing her hand while playing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the top team in the conference, on Dec. 6. The Poets were dealt a hard loss that game after going into overtime, proving a long fight to go head-to-head with a top-ranked team. Yet, once in Vegas, the Women’s team took down both of their matchups with a 72-70 overtime win against Bridgewater State University and a huge 20-point advantage over Wesleyan University.

“Those two games were really important for the team,” Rosales Beltran says. “It gave us the confidence that we needed after the CMS game.”

After the New Year began, the teams continued their stride into conference. The Men secured wins against Pomona-Pitzer and the University of La Verne but suffered losses against Occidental College and No. 10 Redlands University. The Poets’ first matchup against Occidental resulted in a painful one-point loss after the Tigers scored a tough shot in the game’s last seconds. Unfortunately, in their next game against Occidental two weeks later, the Poets faced another loss of five points after battling out into overtime.

Just before this second matchup, Whittier was struck down by Redlands in a 60-105 loss. The Poets did their best to match the fast pace and aggression of the nationally ranked team. Mathis reflects that their efforts fell short of the team’s expectations and that they are not “45 points worse than that team.” However, he also notes that the team has been struggling since third-year Sean Cervantes tore his PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), benching him for the rest of the season.

“It hurts us a lot not having our point guard out there,” Mathis says. “Sean, he’s like our coach, too—like the coach on the court.”

The women’s team has also been falling short because of their injured players, including Rosales Beltran. However, even in the games lost, the bench has proved its increasing strength in time of need.

First-year Lanakila Nitta debuted her abilities against Chapman University, where she scored nine out of her ten shots. Rosales Beltran also shouts out third-year Delaney Castagna for the team’s Vegas victory against Wesleyan. Still, Rosales Beltran’s absence is felt on court, but she insists on continuing to be a leader.

“I’m still a captain, I’m still a leader,” Rosales Beltran says. “Being on the bench is really hard, but I always try to stay positive because if [my teammates] see me being negative or sad, that’s [going to] affect the team.”

Mathis and Rosales Beltran are both part of the few returners on the teams that experienced the glory of the historic post-season experience last year. While this season’s results have differed from last year’s undefeated streaks, the captains are learning to adjust to the difficulties, helping their teammates, and ultimately, having fun. Both teams play at their home court this Saturday, Jan. 31 starting at 2:00 p.m. against the University of La Verne.