The University of Redlands women's basketball team traveled to Pasadena on Tuesday for its opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown of the 2014-15 season and earned a 71-49 victory over the Caltech Beavers with a total-team effort. While utilizing 17 players, the Bulldogs dominated nearly every statistical category in the win, highlighted by their 45.9% shooting performance and 48-18 rebounding margin.
Down 2-4 early in the game, Redlands blew it open with a 20-5 run that began with back-to-back three-pointers by senior guard Caitlin Ciardella (South San Francisco, CA). In addition, the Bulldogs converted five free-throws during this spurt, including a three-point play by freshman guard Courtney Chen (La Cañada, CA).
Late in the stanza, the Bulldogs gained seven points from freshman forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) in approximately two minutes, revealing the team's success inside.
The Maroon and Gray continued to roll while capitalizing on its versatile offense and executing its team-oriented defense.
Leading 34-17 to start the second half, Redlands remained on cruise control as it extended its lead throughout the game. Highlighting the strong play of the Bulldog bench, freshman forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) entered the game with 11:33 remaining and fired off eight points before exiting the game less than seven minutes later. She finished the night with a team-high 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in only 11 minutes of action.
Overall, senior forward Victoria Fakalata (East Palo Alto, CA) chipped in eight points, while Ta'amu added nine points by the final whistle. They pulled in four rebounds each, while sophomore forward Nina Newman (San Mateo, CA) posted a game-high nine boards.
Senior guard Kameran Dage (Walnut Creek, CA), senior guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA), and sophomore guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR) dished out three assists apiece, while senior forward Nicole Packard (Thousand Oaks, CA) nabbed five steals for the Bulldogs.
Redlands (3-4) returns home to Currier Gym on Thursday, December 18, for a non-conference tilt against Coe College (IA) at 7 p.m.