Late-Game Rally Falls Short for Bulldog Women’s Basketball in Wednesday’s Tilt against CLU

Late-Game Rally Falls Short for Bulldog Women’s Basketball in Wednesday’s Tilt against CLU

The University of Redlands women's basketball team traveled to Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night to face off against the Regals of Cal Lutheran University in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game.   Despite owning a 55-33 rebounding margin over the opponents and gaining a 38-point effort from the bench, the Maroon and Gray suffered a 62-67 loss after a late-game rally fell short of the comeback.

An early deficit forced the Bulldogs to play catch-up throughout the contest.  During the first half, Redlands rallied to make it a one-point game on three occasions with the final effort coming at 24-25 with 2:33 left in the stanza.  Senior forward Victoria Fakalata (East Palo Alto, CA) converted her fourth bucket of the first half on this play.

Down 27-33 at the start of the second, Redlands fired off a 5-2 run to pull within three points, with junior forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) and senior guard Kameran Dage (Walnut Creek, CA) teaming up to score for the Bulldogs.

However, the Regals responded with a 10-3 run to create a sizeable advantage at 45-35 with 13:15 left on the clock.  The momentum stayed with the home team, as Cal Lu earned a 15-point lead by the eight-minute mark.

Refusing to go away, the Maroon and Gray clawed its way back to make it a three-point game at 61-64 with 32 seconds to go.  Sophomore forward Nina Newman (San Mateo, CA) played a key role in the late-game rally, recording eight of her nine points during this stretch.  In addition, senior guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA) and Fakalata converted critical free-throws down the stretch.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs' subsequent three shots just missed the mark, before a pair of fouls sent the Regals to the charity stripe to extend CLU's lead to five points.

Overall, Fakalata impressed off the bench with a 7-for-15 performance for 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds for a double-double.  Dage chipped in 12 points, including four buckets from beyond the arc, and provided eight boards.  Lykins finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in a well-rounded performance.

Redlands shot 29.7%, as compared to the Regals' 41.7% showing.  However, the Bulldogs made their way to the free-throw line on 26 occasions and converted 19 attempts.  In addition, the Maroon and Gray pulled in 22 more rebounds than Cal Lutheran, highlighted by a 21-6 margin on the offensive end.

The Bulldogs (4-8, 1-2 SCIAC) look forward to returning to the friendly confines of Currier Gym on Saturday, January 10, when they welcome the Caltech Beavers for a 2 p.m. SCIAC bout.  Saturday also marks Family Fun Night, during which any adult accompanied by a child will receive free admission to the doubleheader.​