The University of Redlands women's basketball team hit the road for the first time this season and came home with two wins. Competing in the UC Santa Cruz Classic, the Bulldogs defeated Menlo College on Friday by a score of 76-67 and then followed that up with a 74-64 victory over the host school.

After facing an early deficit against Menlo, Redlands broke an 8-8 tie with a 12-2 run midway through the opening period.

The Oaks rallied back to within six points on three occasions, but a late three-pointer by sophomore guard Marika Staton (El Centro, CA) put the Bulldogs up by 11 with two minutes to play in the first half.

Menlo capitalized on one last lay-up and a free throw, resulting in the Bulldogs' eight-point advantage at the break.

During the second period, the Oaks rattled off a 14-6 run to close within two points at the 14-minute mark.

But Redlands quickly made it a 10-point game by taking advantage of opportunities at the charity stripe. In addition, this rally was capped off by another timely long ball by Staton.

Menlo refused to go away, cutting the lead to three points with 4:14 left on the clock and then fighting back to make it 68-70 with about two minutes to go.

However, the Bulldogs fired off six points in the closing 90 seconds, highlighted by a three-point bucket by junior guard Ashley Sevilla (San Diego, CA), while holding the Oaks scoreless.

Redlands gained a team-high from sophomore forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting. She also pulled in five rebounds for the Maroon and Gray.

Carroll added 14 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore forward Victoria Fakalata (East Palo Alto, CA) came off the bench for the team's second double-double of the game, scoring 15 points and pulling in 10 boards. Senior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) added to the impressive 61-39 rebounding margin with her 10 boards to go along with seven points and seven assists.

Menlo's Laurel Donnenwirth led all scorers with 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Jenna Marinaro was the only other double-digit performer with 14 points.

On Saturday, Redlands faced off against UC Santa Cruz in a regional battle and captured a solid 10-point win.

The Bulldogs again trailed early, fighting back from as many as 11 points down with 12:29 to go in the first frame.

However, a slow start did not deter the Maroon and Gray. Redlands eventually made it a two-point game at 21-23 with 4:09 left in the half with Carroll and Sevilla knocking down critical shots from beyond the arc during this run.

The Bulldogs quickly tied up the game at the start of the second half when freshman guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA) converted her free-throws. From here, Redlands held the advantage through the final whistle, taking care of the ball and making 23 of its 24 attempts at the charity stripe.

Barbetti-Cort recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Oster and Carroll supplied strong scoring efforts with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Like Barbetti-Cort, they were both perfect from the line, helping the Bulldogs earn a 90.9% showing.

UCSC's Danielle Mofsowitz led all scorers with 17 points, while Alison Scarbrough chipped in 14.

Redlands dominated the boards once again, collecting 50 to the Banana Slugs' 28. The Bulldogs nabbed 12 more offensive rebounds than their opponents.

Redlands (2-3) heads to Chapman University for a non-conference bout with the Panthers on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m., before returning home for a 7 p.m. contest against La Sierra University on Dec. 10.