The University of Redlands women's basketball team opened a three-game road stint on Wednesday night when it faced non-conference foe, Hope International University, in Fullerton. Despite playing three, tight quarters against the Royals, the Bulldogs saw a one-point deficit turn into a 58-74 loss, as the home team heated up in the final 10 minutes.
Redlands jumped out to a 5-0 lead off of a three-pointer by senior forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) and an immediate jumper by sophomore guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA). Senior forward Reyna Ta'amu's (Lakewood, CA) first lay-up of the game quickly made it 7-2 for the Maroon and Gray by the 8:24-mark of the first quarter.
The Bulldogs continued to roll when senior guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA) knocked down back-to-back three-pointers for their 13-6 advantage. Redlands appeared on cruise control over the next few minutes, as first-year forward Camille Mosley (Riverside, CA) and Lacey each converted jumpers to make it 17-10.
However, a late scoring spurt by the Royals put them in front at 18-17 with less than two minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Nonetheless, senior guard Joy Adlao (Hacienda Heights, CA) scored the Maroon and Gray's final four points to give her team a 21-18 lead after one quarter of action.
The back-and-forth fashion of the competition continued into the second quarter, with Hope International gaining a slight advantage at 31-30 by the midway point of the contest. For Redlands, sophomore guard Lindsay Kilgore (Mira Loma, CA), first-year forward Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA), and Ta'amu scored key buckets, with Dack and Ta'amu each taking advantage of their own offensive boards. Lacey capped off the second stanza with a late jump-shot to keep Redlands right in the action with two quarters to go.
The Bulldogs remained in the hunt during the third frame, thanks in part to tenacious rebounding and effective ball-distribution. While making seven baskets in the quarter, the Bulldogs notched assists on all but one of them. Senior forward Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) played a big part in this quality execution, while Ta'amu paced the offense with six points and Lacey chipped in five points. In addition, Dixon knocked down another three-pointer, as Mosley tossed in one more bucket for the Maroon and Gray.
With the teams matching each other stride for stride, Redlands headed into the final period down by just one at 46-47.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, the Royals stepped up with an impressive 62.5% shooting effort in the fourth quarter to outscore the visiting team, 27-12. Although Lacey and Dixon each fired off trey balls and Ta'amu went 3-for-3 from the floor, the Bulldogs could not answer the HIU's prolific attack, which led to the Bulldogs' 16-point loss.
Ta'amu supplied 16 points and six rebounds, while Lacey added 14 points and Dixon chipped in 12.
Redlands (2-2) remains on the road when it heads to Occidental College for the opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown of the season on Saturday, December 2, at 4 p.m.