The University of Redlands women's basketball team took the short trip to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Tuesday to square off against the Sagehens in the final Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match-up of the regular season. Although the game remained close through the first quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away to prevail victorious by a final score of 75-48.
Junior forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) got the ball rolling by netting the Bulldogs' first jumper immediately following junior forward Allison Siksnus' (Placentia, CA) steal off of a Sagehen turnover. Both teams kept the score tight throughout the quarter, but freshman guard Mariana Ecija's (San Diego, CA) late jumper put Redlands up by a 16-12 advantage at the end of the first.
With 7:40 to go in the second, Ta'amu snagged an offensive board and laid it up and to initiate the Bulldogs' pull-away for the win. Ta'amu accounted for Redlands' next four points with a lay-up and two made free-throws.
With three minutes to go until halftime, sophomore guard Mandy Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) chipped in two from the charity stripe, before Ta'amu was sent to the line yet again, and went a perfect 2-for-2. She netted the Bulldogs' last points of the second quarter to give Redlands its biggest lead of the half at 33-19.
Senior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR) provided a great defensive effort throughout the third, as she hauled in six rebounds and blocked an opponent shot in this 10-minute span. Redlands continued to keep the Sagehens at bay with great presence in the post that resulted in six offensive rebounds during this stretch alone. With a well-rounded effort, the Bulldogs expanded their advantage to 51-30 with 1:50 left on the clock.
From here, the Maroon and Gray continued to cruise, with freshman guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) and sophomore guard Brenna Dela Rosa (Waipahu, HI) each adding points.
With 3:44 left to go in the game, senior forward Sydney Bennett (Agoura Hills, CA) tossed in a jumper off of a nice pass from Dela Rosa, before senior guard Selena Iriarte (Wilmington, CA) swiped a steal and raced it back to Redlands' offensive end for the made lay-up on the next possession. After Bennett netted four more Bulldog points, junior forward Megan Fortenberry (Riverside, CA) and junior forward Nicolee Quraishy (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) entered the game and immediately made their presence known. Fortenberry snagged an offensive board, while Quraishy sunk a free-throw with 23 ticks remaining on the clock to seal the 75-48 win over the Sagehens.
Ta'amu finished the game with a team-high 21 points. Cheldelin recorded her sixth double-double of the season, with this one coming off of 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Upon conclusion of the regular season, Redlands (14-11, 11-5 SCIAC) owns the No. 4 seed in the upcoming SCIAC Postseason Tournament. While making their 10th-consecutive appearance, the Bulldogs take on top-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Thursday's semifinal at 7 p.m. in Claremont.