The University of Redlands women’s basketball team suffered its second loss in a row for the first time this season, falling to Occidental College by a score of 63-64 in tonight’s Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game in Currier Gym. With the defeat, the Bulldogs slip to third place in the standings behind a two-way tie for first between Occidental and Cal Lutheran University.

The Bulldogs owned a five-point halftime lead but then the Tiger offense exploded with a 16-0 run to start the second half. This gave Occidental an 11-point advantage with 12:55 remaining in the game.

However, Redlands clawed its way back into the game to finally tie it at 62 when sophomore forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) knocked down a jumper with 1:37 to go.

After a Tiger turnover, Occidental fouled junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) to send her to the free-throw line. She sank one of two shots to put Redlands up by one, 63-62.

Following a missed shot by Occidental, Redlands had its chance to make it a three-point game at the free-throw line but came up short.

With nine seconds left on the clock, the Tigers called a timeout to set up one last play.

Solid defense by the Bulldogs forced Occidental to call another timeout, now with three seconds remaining.

On the ensuing play, junior guard Stephanie Babij (Ontario, CA) fought through traffic to take a last-second shot but a foul was called against Redlands, sending her to the line. She converted both shots to put the Tigers up by one.

With 1.4 seconds on the clock, the Bulldogs inbounded the ball and attempted a desperation shot from well beyond half-court but missed as time expired.

Carroll led the Bulldogs with 24 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) added 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go along with five boards and two assists.

Occidental gained a career-night from Babij with 30 points, going 12-for-15 from the field. Freshman forward Makenzie Brandon (Seattle, WA) added 11 points as the only other double-digit scorer.

Redlands (13-5, 5-2 SCIAC) looks to rebound on Saturday when it hosts the University of La Verne in a SCIAC doubleheader during “Fan Appreciation Night”. The women tip off at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7:30 p.m.