The University of Redlands women's basketball team returned to action on Friday afternoon and toppled the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg (PA), 66-43, in non-conference action at the Chapman Winter Classic. While leading early on, the Bulldogs used a new combination of contributors to snap their recent skid.
After the Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, the Bulldogs saw first-year guard Alyssa Downs (South San Francisco, CA) drain three consecutive three-pointers to crack open an 11-9 lead. First-year guard Chyanne Pagkalinawan (Torrance, CA) picked up where Downs left off with five points to help build a 16-9 advantage for the Maroon and Gray. The Bulldogs continued their high-octane offense to close the first quarter, as junior guard Lindsay Kilgore (Mira Loma, CA) knocked down a three-pointer for Redlands' first double-digit lead of the game at 26-13.
Midway into the second, the Bulldogs stretched their advantage to 14 when sophomore guard Miya Ishii-Bleeker (Los Angeles, CA) found classmate guard Alyssa Lee (Monterey Park, CA) for another Redlands three-pointer. During the final four minutes, the teams locked down on the defensive end, with the Bulldogs only scoring once more off of a put-back from sophomore guard Claire Olmstead (Sherman, TX) in the final five seconds. Redlands' defensive effort held Pitt-Greensburg to only five points in the second frame.
However, the Maroon and Gray broke through in the third quarter, as Downs opened up scoring with a jumper to make it 41-23 less than a minute in. At the 4:36-mark, sophomore forward Camille Mosley (Riverside, CA) corralled an offensive rebound and put it right back up, but was fouled on the layup for an old-fashioned three-point play. The Bulldogs' lead eclipsed the 20-point mark when Ishii-Bleeker knocked down both of her free throws to make it 52-30. Late in the third quarter, Pagkalinawan stole the ball and finished the play with a layup on the other end to send her team into the final frame up by 24 points.
Although the Bobcats outscored the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter, Redlands maintained a healthy lead en route to the much-needed 66-43 victory. Today's result ends an eight-game skid that dates back to November 10.
Downs led the game in scoring with 17 points, while adding five rebounds, one steal, and one block in only 23 minutes of action. Lee turned in a strong game with a career-high 15 points to go along four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. In Pagkalinawan's collegiate debut, she scored 13 points off the bench and led with a game-high three steals. Her effort on the defensive end resulted in a 13-4 Bulldog advantage in the steals category. Sophomore guard Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA) pulled in 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
The Maroon and Gray also held Pitt-Greensburg to a 1-for-14 showing from beyond the arc for 7.1%. Finally, Redlands forced 21 Bobcat turnovers and capitalized by converting 23 points on the other end.
Redlands (3-8) is back in action on Saturday, December 29, to conclude the Chapman Winter Classic against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at 1 p.m. in Orange.