The University of Redlands women's basketball team continued its December road trip with a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tilt against the Chapman University Panthers in Orange on Saturday afternoon. After a slow start, the Bulldogs forced a fourth-quarter tie but ultimately fell short of the comeback in a 62-69 decision.
After junior guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) pickpocketed the Panthers out of their opening possession, sophomore guard Alyssa Lee (Monterey Park, CA) capitalized by knocking down a three-pointer for the early Bulldog lead.
However, Chapman immediately responded and held the visitors to just six points in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, Redlands' scoring drought continued nearly two minutes into the second quarter, until sophomore forward Camille Mosley (Riverside, CA) sliced through the lane for a layup off sophomore guard Miya Ishii-Bleeker's (Los Angeles, CA) assist. Lacey went on to carry the Bulldogs by scoring 11 of the team's next 17 points to make it 25-27 at the halftime break.
Redlands worked to make the necessary changes in the third quarter, as Lee, sophomore forward Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA), and Mosley provided quality buckets to keep things close. With 3:09 left in the frame, first-year guard Alyssa Downs' (South San Francisco, CA) three-pointer put the Maroon and Gray in front by a score of 41-35 for its largest lead of the night. The Bulldogs maintained a two-possession advantage until Chapman sank a trey-ball with 42 seconds to go. Although the Panthers cut it to two, Redlands held a 47-45 lead with 10 minutes to play.
The teams traded buckets to start the fourth, with the Bulldogs gaining big-time threes from Downs and Lee. However, Chapman broke open a 55-all tie with a 10-1 run to provide enough of a cushion at 65-56 to hold on for the win.
Although Lacey added six more points down the stretch, Redlands' comeback fell short in the 62-69 loss.
Lacey led all players with 23 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and two blocks. Lee tossed in a career-high 12 points and offered five assists, while Downs added 11 points. Dack and Mosley combined for 13 points.
Redlands (2-6, 0-4 SCIAC) heads to UC Santa Cruz for two games in a tournament on Monday, December 17, and Tuesday, December 18. The Bulldogs face the hosts at 6 p.m. on the 17th before taking on Pacific University (OR) at 2 p.m. on the 18th.