The University of Redlands women's basketball team took to the road for its 10th-consecutive appearance in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament on Thursday night. As the fourth seed, the Bulldogs squared off against the top-seeded Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, but fell short of the upset in a 54-62 decision.
After an incredibly slow start, the Bulldogs faced a 4-17 deficit through the first quarter of action. Junior forwards Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) and Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) accounted for Redlands' only points.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs regrouped and put together a much more productive second quarter, which began with a 6-0 run off of buckets by senior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR), senior forward Sydney Bennett (Agoura Hills, CA), and junior guard Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA).
After holding CMS to only two points in the first five minutes, Redlands continued to chip away at the deficit with Silver's and-one play that was followed by a Cheldelin jumper to make it 15-19 with 5:22 left on the second-quarter clock.
However, the Athenas responded with a short run that extended their lead back to 10 points.
Thanks in part to three-pointers by junior forward Megan Fortenberry (Riverside, CA) and junior guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA), Redlands faced only a seven-point hole at 22-29 by the midway point of the contest.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, CMS controlled the third quarter while teetering on a double-digit lead throughout the frame.
At the start of the final 10 minutes, Redlands faced an uphill battle of making up 11 points to possibly extend its season another day. A 5-2 start to the quarter certainly helped the Maroon and Gray's cause, as freshman guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) dropped in a three-pointer, before Cheldelin converted a jumper and the ensuing free-throw to make it 40-47.
However, the Bulldogs' comeback efforts never moved any closer than seven points in the waning minutes, resulting in the season-ending loss, 54-62.
Cheldelin finished the night with 18 points, while Ta'amu provided 10 points and five rebounds.
Redlands completes the 2016-17 season with a 14-12 overall record.