After Thursday's bye, the University of Redlands women's basketball team returned to action with a 74-55 victory over the Regals of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.  The Bulldogs overcame a six-point halftime deficit with an impressive 56.5% performance in the second stanza while holding the opponents to a mere 18 points to capture their sixth Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) win of the season. 

With the score tied at 10 early in the game, the Regals pulled away by as many as nine points during the latter portion of the frame. 

However, Redlands rallied with a 12-2 run to take the lead at 31-30 with 2:02 remaining.  During this spurt, the Maroon and Gray gained at least two points from five different players, with senior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) scoring four.

Nonetheless, Cal Lutheran quickly responded with seven straight points of its own to take a 37-31 advantage into the locker room at the break.

Following a productive halftime meeting with Head Coach Rich Murphy, the Bulldogs erupted for 43 points in the second frame to push past the Regals.  Within the first three minutes, senior forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) and Goeser combined forces for 13 unanswered points.

The Maroon and Gray maintained its offensive rhythm and extended the lead to 14 points with 11:03 to go.  Junior guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA), senior forward Madison Sanders-Curry (San Jose, CA), and sophomore forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) all contributed critical points to the Bulldogs' cause.

In the final nine minutes, the intensity of the game resulted in a physical battle with numerous fouls, particularly against the Maroon and Gray.  During this stretch, the Bulldogs took advantage of opportunity by sinking 13 of their 18 chances at the charity stripe en route to the 19-point win.

Four of Redlands' starters scored 10 or more points.  Goeser finished with a season-high 25 points while shooting 42.9% overall and 13-for-15 from the charity stripe.  Oster added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Sanders-Curry chipped in 11 points and eight boards.   Finally, Lykins rounded out the solid effort by providing 10 points for the Maroon and Gray.

Overall, the Bulldogs shot 49.1%, highlighted by a 56.5% effort in the second stanza.  The team also converted 75% of its free-throw attempts. 

Cal Lu (6-9, 2-5 SCIAC) earned a mark of 39% overall and 46.7% from the charity stripe.

Redlands (13-3, 6-1 SCIAC) now sits in a three-way tie for first in the SCIAC standings, joining Chapman University and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges at the top.  The Bulldogs next head to Whittier College on Thursday, Jan. 23, for a 7:30 p.m. match-up with the Poets.