The University of Redlands women’s basketball team headed to the University of La Verne on Saturday and entered the game with an opportunity to change up the standings in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Sitting just one game behind a two-way tie for first place between Occidental College and La Verne, the Bulldogs took care of business and defeated the Leopards by a score of 58-53.

The first half saw a back-and-forth competition that resulted in a 25-25 tie at the break.

During the second period, both teams worked to edge out the other in a tight contest. The Leopards eventually gained their second-largest lead of the game at four points with 12:14 to go in the game. The Bulldogs remained steady and quickly tied the game off of a free throw by sophomore forward Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) and a three-pointer by junior guard Ali Bueno (San Jose, CA). Sophomore guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) then sank a jumper about one minute later to put Redlands up by two. Freshman forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) scored a jumper with 7:53 remaining to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.

Carroll contributed 12 points in the final 10 minutes of the game en route to her 16-point performance.

Junior guard Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) and Smith hit important free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Bulldogs and Leopards are now tied for second place in the conference with Occidental College taking sole possession of the top spot following its 78-63 over Whittier College.

Redlands (17-6, 9-3 SCIAC) returns home to Currier Gym on Thursday night for a conference game against Cal Lutheran University at 7:30 p.m.