The University of Redlands women's basketball team resumed Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Saturday, cruising to a 56-41 victory over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Claremont. After overcoming an early three-point deficit, the Maroon and Gray pulled away for the team's ninth consecutive triumph of the season.
With 11:11 remaining in the first half, the Bulldogs faced a slight hole at 10-13. However, the team quickly answered with a jumper by sophomore forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) and then back-to-back three-pointers by junior guard Caitlin Ciardella (South San Francisco, CA) and senior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) to make it 18-15 with 7:42 left in the period.
Redlands closed out the stanza with a 22-17 advantage after shooting just 29.4%. Regardless, the Bulldogs held the Sagehens to a 26.9% effort during this defensive struggle.
Although the Sagehens registered the opening point of the second half, the Maroon and Gray quickly expanded its lead to 10 points at 30-20 when junior guard Kameran Dage (Walnut Creek, CA) knocked down a pair of shots from beyond the arc less than four minutes into the action.
With the Bulldogs' lead hovering around 10 points halfway through the frame, Ciardella's second three-pointer of the night inspired a 7-0 run that put her team up by 15 points at 41-26 with 9:44 to go. In addition, senior forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) and Goeser chipped in key jumpers during this stretch.
The Maroon and Gray continued to roll through the final minutes of the contest, with Farry and junior guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA) making important shots to finish out the game.
Goeser finished with a game-high 15 points along with four assists and three rebounds. Lykins and Oster both contributed 10 points for the Bulldogs, with the duo also combining for 21 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.
The Sagehens (4-7, 2-2 SCIAC) gained 11 points and 10 rebounds from Basha Brulee-Wills.
As a team, Redlands shot 35.9% for the game, as compared to Pomona-Pitzer's 31.5% showing. The Maroon and Gray also won the rebounding battle with a 46-38 advantage.
The Bulldogs (11-2, 4-0 SCIAC) look forward to a pair of home contests next week, beginning with Thursday's 7:30 p.m. showdown against the Caltech Beavers. They also host the University of La Verne on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Currier Gym.