The University of Redlands women's basketball team faced off against the La Sierra University Golden Eagles on Saturday evening in non-conference action. The Bulldogs dominated every aspect of the competition by leading in each of the four quarters with multiple contributors to earn a 71-44 victory over the Golden Eagles.
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, compliments of junior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR) and sophomore guard Courtney Chen (La Canada, CA), as they each drained a bucket on their opening two possessions.
After the Golden Eagles trimmed the deficit to one, senior forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) ignited the Bulldog offense by drilling a shot for two points. She then followed with another bucket in the third minute of play for Redlands' early 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Junior guard Yoemma Esparza (Shafter, CA) kicked off a 14-2 run for the Bulldogs in the second quarter, before senior guard Ashton Beth (Windsor, CA) converted a bucket to put the Bulldogs up, 15-6.
Sophomore guard Brooke Hulett (Poway, CA) added to the scoring action by nailing a jumper, which was followed by another two-pointer from Beth. Cheldelin continued to carry a hot hand by draining two shots in the scoring spree for the Bulldogs, before sophomore guard Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) capped off the scoring run to send the Bulldogs into the locker room with a 29-14 halftime lead.
The Maroon and Gray continued its potent offense, as sophomore forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) worked her way to the charity stripe for two points to kick off the third-quarter scoring. Cheldelin and Farry backed her shortly after with buckets on consecutive possessions to expand the visitors' advantage to 20 points at the 7:36 mark.
Redlands remained consistent at the free-throw line, as Esparza and sophomore forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) drained two free-throws each on consecutive possessions. Beth stayed true to the aggressive play as well by earning a ticket to the stripe for two points.
With just over one minute left to go in the third quarter, Ta'amu put together a fancy and-one play, which was assisted by sophomore guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA), for the Bulldogs' 18-point lead with 10 minutes to go.
The Bulldogs continued to cruise, as Ta'amu notched four of her team's opening eight points in the fourth quarter. After consecutive scores from Cheldelin, Chen, and Siksnus, junior guard Selena Iriarte (Wilmington, CA) and sophomore forward Megan Fortenberry (Riverside, CA) each contributed points to finish off the Maroon and Gray's 71-44 victory.
Cheldelin notched a game-high 14 points to go along with two rebounds and two steals. Ta'amu added 11 points, six rebounds, and five steals. Chen dropped 10 points, hauled in seven boards, dished out five assists, and nabbed three steals. Esparza also put together a well-rounded effort by tallying eight points, hauling in five rebounds, dishing out four assists, and pocketing four steals.
The Bulldogs head to the Chapman Winter Classic on Tuesday, December 29, and Wednesday, December 30, in Orange. Redland faces Albion College at 3 p.m. and Connecticut College at 1 p.m. on the respective days.