The University of Redlands women's basketball team battled it out with the conference-leading Leopards of the University of La Verne on Thursday night but came up short against the familiar foes by a score of 90-95. Ultimately, a slow start and being outshot at the free-throw line doomed the Bulldogs, as they picked up their second Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) loss of the campaign.
Playing against a fast-paced, constantly-trapping Leopard squad, the Bulldogs fell behind early, trailing 2-12 after just four minutes. Redlands gained a much needed spark when senior guard Ashley Sevilla (San Diego, CA) came off the bench to convert a long-range effort to pull the Bulldogs to within seven points by the 14:20 mark.
Continuing to cut into the Leopard lead, junior guard Marika Staton (El Centro, CA) scored five straight points, making it a three-point game midway through the first stanza.
La Verne kept applying pressure defensively throughout the period and eventually extended its lead by the halftime break to 52-46. During those first 20 minutes, Redlands converted as many field goals as La Verne and drained one more three-pointer. But the difference came at the charity stripe, where the Leopards went 12-for-14, while Redlands only got to the foul line on six occasions, making five.
The Maroon and Gray made some adjustments and began the second stanza on a 9-2 run, taking its first lead of the contest at the 17:49-mark when junior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) nailed a jumper to give the Bulldogs a 55-54 advantage.
The Leopards responded immediately with a 9-2 offensive spurt of their own to regain the advantage, eventually making it 69-60 at the 12:46-mark.
Refusing to go away quietly, Redlands continued to battle against the different-look opponents. With 6:32 left in regulation, Staton sank a shot from downtown to pull the U of R to within three points at 75-78.
As the teams continued to trade baskets, Bulldog sophomore guard Claire Stach (Portland, OR) hit a jumper with just under two minutes to go, keeping the Maroon and Gray within striking distance.
Redlands held La Verne to zero field goals over the final two minutes of the contest, but the Leopards went 11-for-11 from the line, sealing the SCIAC victory. Despite some clutch shots late in the game, the Bulldogs could not overcome La Verne's multiple opportunities and consistent performances at the line, resulting in the five-point loss.
For the game, Redlands went 8-of-14 from the line, while La Verne got to the charity stripe 32 times, converting 27 of those free-throw attempts. The Bulldogs also lost the rebounding battle, giving up 23 offensive rebounds to the Leopards, many of which led to second-chance opportunities.
While the Bulldogs outshot the Leopards from the field with a 44.4% effort compared to a 35.2% performance and hit four more three-pointers than their foes, the disparity in free-throw opportunities was indefensible.
On the night, Staton led all scorers with 23 points to go along with grabbing six boards, dishing out four assists, and notching one block. Junior forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) provided another solid night, scoring 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Additionally, senior guard Allison Wong (Redding, CA) provided an impressive offensive spark, hitting six shots from beyond the arc en route to a 20-point effort.
The Maroon and Gray (9-4, 3-2 SCIAC) looks to bounce back from this tough loss when it hosts Family Fun Night on Saturday. Scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip-off, the Bulldogs take on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Currier Gym. In honor of Family Fun Night, any adult who brings a kid to the game will receive free admission and all children 14 and under are invited to Gary Smith Court for a casual shoot-around at halftime. Furthermore, all children in attendance will receive a voucher for a free kid's meal at the local Corner Bakery Café.