The University of Redlands women's basketball team faced off against Connecticut College in the final game of the Chapman Winter Classic in Orange on Wednesday afternoon. Despite out-scoring Connecticut by seven points in the third quarter, the Bulldogs struggled to maintain their offense throughout the contest and ultimately fell by the final score of 54-69.
Redlands got off to a hot start by tallying the first two points of the game compliments of sophomore forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA). Junior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR) and senior forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) joined the scoring action shortly after, resulting in a 7-5 lead for the Bulldogs midway through the first quarter.
However, Connecticut fired off a 7-1 run to earn a 12-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action.
After two baskets by Connecticut early in the second frame, Cheldelin ended the Maroon and Gray's scoring drought by nailing a jumper with 7:55 left on the clock. Freshman guard Mandy Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) added to the positive momentum by knocking down a free-throw before converting a jumper on the next possession, trimming the deficit to nine points with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs saw their biggest offensive output of the contest come in the third quarter, which began with a 10-0 run. Redlands went on to out-score the Camels by a 21-14 margin. Sophomore guard Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) fueled the scoring spurt by nailing the first four points of the third stanza. Sophomore guard Courtney Chen (La Canada, CA) added four points shortly after, while Cheldelin buried a jumper to trim the deficit to 32-38 with 4:35 left to go in the frame.
Freshman guard Yoemma Esparza (Shafter, CA) continued the offensive rhythm for Redlands by nailing the Bulldogs' first three-pointer of the game at the two-minute mark. Ta'amu capped off the quarter by cashing in on two points from the charity stripe to bring the score to 39-47 at the start of the final frame.
Despite the late-game rally by the Bulldogs, they struggled to overcome the offensive poise of Connecticut and ultimately fell by a score of 54-69.
Cheldelin led the Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points in 35 minutes of action. In addition, she hauled in seven rebounds and recorded one block.
Ta'amu added nine points and four rebounds, while Farry contributed five rebounds, four points, and two assists. Furthermore, M. Silver buried eight points and facilitated four assists.
The Bulldogs (3-6) kick off Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action by hosting the Occidental College Tigers on Saturday, January 2, at 4 p.m., following the men's game at 2 p.m.