With a continued commitment to character, poise, and fundamental skills, the University of Redlands women's basketball team lived up to this motto during the 2015-16 campaign while earning the program's ninth-consecutive trip to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament. The Bulldogs completed the season with a 12-14 overall record, as highlighted by a 9-7 showing in conference competition, which included a stunning victory over the then-undefeated leaders of the SCIAC.
Despite losing some close games in the beginning of the season, the Maroon and Gray grabbed two exciting victories during the Redlands Tip-Off Classic. In the Bulldogs' upset of the NAIA's No. 14 The Master's College, sophomore center Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) handled the majority of the offense by dropping a team-high 19 points, which included an 11-for-12 mark at the charity stripe. Sophomore sharp-shooter Brooke Hulett (Poway, CA) added some fire from beyond the arc by nailing four of seven treys en route to scoring 12 points off the bench.
Redlands completed its opening tournament with a 58-53 nerve-wracking win over the University of Dallas (TX). While leading by a score of 51-49 with 3:39 left on the clock, the Bulldogs gritted their teeth and became remarkably fundamental by notching clutch baskets down the stretch. Junior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR) was money in the waning minutes of the fourth period by scoring four critical points, while sophomore guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA) and senior forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) combined for three points at the charity stripe en route to the home team's 58-53 win.
Cheldelin and Farry were rewarded for their efforts during the two games by landing on the All-Tournament Team.
The team notched its only win in December by dismantling the La Sierra University Golden Eagles in a 71-44 rout. While leading in every quarter, the Bulldogs also dominated every aspect of the competition with a total-team effort.
In early January, the Maroon and Gray began SCIAC action by defeating Occidental College in a 59-43 decision. With solid defense that held the Tigers to a combined nine points in the second and third quarters, the Bulldogs looked to Ta'amu to provide a massive effort in the victory by scoring 20 points and hauling in 14 rebounds for a double-double. Farry was two rebounds shy of a double-double after racking up 12 points, while sophomore guard Courtney Chen (La Canada, CA) displayed excellent vision by dishing out five assists.
Redlands quickly followed that up with a dominating 58-35 win over Caltech by limiting the Beavers to single-digit scoring in three of the four quarters. Sophomore forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) led the team in scoring with 12 points, while Cheldelin backed her with an 11-point effort. Farry hit the boards for 10 rebounds as well.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs struggled to maintain their winning ways and finished out the month of January with only two more conference victories. Chen's 14-point effort against the University of La Verne helped propel the team to a tight 64-61 victory, while an early 8-2 lead resulted in a 58-51 win over Whittier College. Against the Poets, sophomore guard Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) provided 13 points in a strong showing off the bench.
Despite the losses, Redlands remained in the hunt for their ninth-consecutive postseason appearance due to the fact that multiple teams in contention were enduring ups-and-downs at this point of the season. Redlands began the final month of competition with a commanding 61-54 victory over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, which included three Bulldog starters in double-digit scoring. Farry led the way by recording an 8-for-15 shooting mark for 17 points. She added 11 rebounds to pencil a double-double on the night. Cheldelin hit 13 points, while Chen supplied 11 points.
After falling to Occidental, the Bulldogs rebounded with a dominating victory over Caltech once again. Hulett worked to earn 13 points off the bench, while Cheldelin nailed 14 points on a 7-for-11 shooting night.
Amidst a 5-2 finish to the regular season, Redlands capped off conference competition by winning three games in a row that proved to be crucial for playoff seeding. The Bulldogs' biggest win of the season came against then-undefeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Senior Night in Currier Gym. After honoring Farry and senior guard Ashton Beth (Windsor, CA) in a celebratory pre-game ceremony, Redlands outscored CMS in three out of four quarters and eventually secured a 58-51 upset. Trailing by three with 6:57 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs kept their composure and stayed true to their game plan by breaking the full-court press and collecting multiple free-throw opportunities. The Maroon and Gray took care of business by hitting 11-of-15 from the stripe to stun the Athenas. Junior guard Yoemma Esparza (Shafter, CA), Beth, Chen, Cheldelin, Ta'amu, and Farry all tossed in at least one free-throw to close out the game. Cheldelin finished with 14 points and three rebounds, while Ta'amu was two rebounds shy of a double with 10 points. Siksnus was clutch down the stretch by drilling two three-pointers en route to the Bulldogs' exciting win.
After Redlands sandwiched the critical CMS win with triumphs over Whittier and La Verne, the Bulldogs earned the fourth-seed in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for the second-consecutive year while advancing to the tournament for the ninth-consecutive time.
Unfortunately, the momentum stopped there, as the Maroon and Gray was unable to defeat the Athenas in the semifinal of the tournament, thus ending the Redlands women's basketball team's season.
At season's end, Cheldelin and Ta'amu garnered their inaugural All-SCIAC Second-Team honors for their solid contributions.
As shown by the impressive streak of consecutive SCIAC Postseason Tournament berths, winning and success have proven to be an inevitable trend for the women's basketball team under Head Coach Rich Murphy. Despite the loss of Farry and Beth due to graduation, the Bulldogs look forward to the future contributions of its talented crew of veterans, as the team prepares for the next chapter in its storied history.