NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Casey Poe led a trio of Whitties into double figures and Hailey Ann Maeda ripped down 10 rebounds for Whitman as it upset No. 16 Williams (Mass.) College, 70-56, to hand the nationally-ranked Ephs their first loss of the season Tuesday in a non-conference match-up at the Music City Classic.

Whitman improves its season mark to 8-1 while the loss drops Williams to the same record.

Defensive pressure left both teams searching for answers in the first half as Whitman carried a 28-27 lead into the halftime break after both teams hit only 32 percent of their shots during the opening two quarters of action.

Whitman scored first but lost the lead quickly and wasn't able to jump back in front until a 3-pointer from Chelsi Brewer that gave the Whitties an 11-9 advantage.

Three more lead changes followed until a close-in jumper from Maeda broke a 24-24 tie with a little over a minute to play in the half, providing the game with its final lead change.

Whitman expanded its one-point halftime lead to eight points twice in the third quarter, eventually setting for a five-point edge heading into the final quarter.

Those last 10 minutes went Whitman's way as it outscored the Ephs 27-18 to close out the 14-point victory.

Poe's 23 points led the Whitties but they picked up 14 points from Alysse Ketner and 13 from Brewer who hit five from beyond the arc. Maeda's 10 boards helped Whitman finish with a 45-42 edge on the glass. Poe entered numbers across the stats sheet adding in five rebounds, against only one turnover, to a block and a steal as well as her team-leading points total.

The defensive pressure exerted by Whitman forced Williams into a 29 percent afternoon from the floor, created 13 turnovers and resulted in eight fast-break points by the opportunistic Whitties.
    

Williams' Amanni Fernendez shared game-high honors with Poe as she paced the Ephs with 23 points. Oge Uwanaka came away with a game-best 12 rebounds in the loss.

The Music City Classic continues Wednesday for Whitman when it will square off against Penn State-Behrend at 4 p.m. PT.