The University of Redlands women's basketball team traveled to Orange on Wednesday to take on Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe and conference-leading Chapman University. Despite battling early to keep the score close, the Bulldogs struggled with turnovers, which allowed the Panthers to hold a sizeable lead throughout the rest of the game and resulted in a 58-78 loss for the Maroon and Gray.
Senior forward Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) started things off hot for the visiting team by scoring the Bulldogs' first five points. She began the run with an offensive rebound and a jumper before subsequently hitting a sweet three-pointer off senior guard Caitlyn Dixon's (Seattle, WA) assist.
With five minutes to go in the first quarter, Redlands trailed by a score of 7-10, when Dixon swiped a steal that led to a sophomore guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) jumper to pull within one.
Following a Chapman timeout a minute later, first-year guard Lindsay Kilgore (Mira Loma, CA) made her presence known by knocking down a trey-ball from first-year forward Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA) to tie it up at 12.
Unfortunately, Redlands was held scoreless in the remaining three minutes to end the first stanza in a 12-20 hole.
Chapman gained a good-sized lead in the second quarter, but a jumper and three-pointer from senior forward Megan Fortenberry (Riverside, CA) kept inching the Bulldogs closer. Senior forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) hit her two subsequent free throws to put the Maroon and Gray within nine at 21-30 with three-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter.
The third quarter was a total-team effort, as all starters knocked down at least two points. Despite shooting 53.8% to Chapman's 36.8%, the Bulldogs struggled to close the gap much further. Fortenberry and Dixon took charge by scoring six and five points, respectively, with each hitting a shot from downtown.
Redlands matched the Panthers point-for-point in the fourth quarter, but the home team had created a large enough spread to hand the Bulldogs a tough 58-78 loss.
Fortenberry impressed on offense, as she scored a team-leading 11 points. Dixon followed close behind with 10 points.
Redlands (11-10, 6-6 SCIAC) looks to jump back into the win column on Saturday, February 3, when the Bulldogs host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in a SCIAC game. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. in Currier Gym.