With a season-high 26 points, senior guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) helped the University of Redlands women's basketball team make a statement nationally, as the Bulldogs upset No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 70-62, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships on Friday night. With the win, the Bulldogs advance to the round of 32 against Trine University (IN) on Saturday, March 7, at 5 p.m. PST.
After the Warhawks' 8-2 run out of the gates, Redlands responded to knot the game at 10-apiece off Lacey's jumper just past the midway point of the first quarter. About a minute later, junior guard Alyssa Lee (Monterey Park, CA) pushed the ball in transition to sophomore guard Alyssa Downs (South San Francisco, CA), who earned the Bulldogs' first lead at 14-13 with her second three-pointer of the game.
First-year forward Julia Balesteri (Pleasanton, CA) converted a pair of free throws late in the stanza, but Wisconsin-Whitewater ended the quarter with a trey to pull ahead, 17-16.
The first five minutes of the second period went back-and-forth until sophomore forward Hannah Jerrier (Canton, MA) stole the ball and kicked it to Downs, who sank another bucket from deep for the Maroon and Gray's 29-25 lead with 5:16 left on the clock. Although the Warhawks cut it to one, Lacey and junior forward Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA) tacked on four points to send the Bulldogs into the locker room with a 37-32 halftime advantage.
The Maroon and Gray stunned the Warhawks early in the third quarter by holding the home team to just two free throws in the first five minutes of action. In addition, the Bulldogs forced five missed shots and two turnovers during this span with their stifling defense. On the other end of the floor, Redlands built up its largest lead of the game at 50-36. Lee dumped the ball down to Jerrier for the short jumper to cap off a 13-3 run at the 5:02-mark. Junior guard Chyanne Pagkalinawan (Torrance, CA) paced the offense during this stretch with four points.
However, Wisconsin-Whitewater successfully slimmed the deficit to 10 points with 10 minutes left to decide who would advance in the tournament.
The Warhawks found life with four quick points to open the fourth, but Lacey stole their momentum away with two buckets to push the Maroon and Gray's lead back up to 56-46. On the next play, Jerrier protected the paint with a block, which led to a Downs layup on the other end for a 58-46 Bulldog advantage.
Nonetheless, the Warhawks refused to go away and cut Redlands' advantage to seven points with 3:12 left in the game. About a minute later, Lee stepped behind the arc for a critical three-pointer that put Redlands up by double digits at 63-53 with 2:02 left in the game.
Although Wisconsin-Whitewater eventually made it a five-point game, Lacey drained her foul shots to keep a healthy cushion at 65-58 with 1:13 to go.
In the final 40 seconds, Lacey stepped up to ice the win with four final free throws in the 70-62 triumph.
Lacey turned in her best performance of the year with a season-high 26 points. She shot 50% from the field and knocked down eight of her 10 free throws. Downs showcased her three-point presence en route to 18 points, while Jerrier sent away four shots with a game-high four blocks. Dack led all players with 12 rebounds.
As a team, the Bulldogs scored 28 points in the paint and benefitted from 14 points off Warhawk turnovers.
While leading the Bulldogs' to their second national appearance, Head Coach Rich Murphy secures the program's first-ever NCAA tournament win.
Redlands (22-6, 14-2 SCIAC) advances to the round of 32 against No. 23 Trine University (IN) at Kachel Gym in Whitewater on Saturday, March 7, at 5 p.m. PST.
Live stats and streaming will be available through the hosts' website.