After suffering heartbreak in the past two semifinal games of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament, the University of Redlands women’s basketball team finally moves on to the championship game with tonight’s 63-61 barn-burner victory over the visiting Regals of Cal Lutheran University.

With the win, the Bulldogs (21-5) head to Occidental College for Saturday’s 5 p.m. championship game against the Tigers, who staved off a persistent Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges team in tonight’s other semifinal match.

Just last week, Redlands defeated Occidental on the road by a score of 66-54.

In tonight’s back-and-forth showdown between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams, the score remained close throughout both periods of gritty and physical basketball in Currier Gym.

After the Bulldogs gained a six-point lead early in the game, the Regals responded with a seven-point advantage with 6:27 remaining in the first half.

However, with 11 tied scores and 16 lead-changes, neither team maintained control for long.

Finally, the Bulldogs broke a 57-57 tie with 1:44 to go when junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) laid-in a basket and converted the foul shot to make it a three-point game.

On the ensuing possession, Redlands was called for a foul that sent Cal Lu’s freshman guard Erica Whitley (Oxnard, CA) to the line, but she made only one of two.

With 36 seconds left, the Regals fouled senior guard Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA), who took care of her two free-throws to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to four points at 62-58.

Again, Redlands was called for a foul, which resulted in two free-throws for Cal Lutheran, but freshman guard Starla Wright (Newhall, CA) missed the first and made the second.

Now with 15 seconds to go, the Regals sent Yetman to the line again as she went 1-for-2, which was just enough to keep Cal Lutheran at bay at 63-59.

The Regals’ freshman forward Brianna Parker (Sacramento, CA) made an easy layup on the ensuing play, cutting the lead to two with four seconds to go.

As one of their players tripped to the ground, the Bulldogs’ inbounds play was broken up and Cal Lutheran’s junior guard Donielle Griggs (Ventura, CA) recovered the ball in time to toss up a desperation-shot at the buzzer. But it missed, giving Redlands the hard-fought 63-61 victory.

On the night, the Maroon and Gray struggled from the field, going just 15-for-52 for 28.8%, which included an abysmal 1-for-14 display from beyond the arc. However, the difference was made at the free-throw line, as Redlands converted 32 of its 39 chances.

Cal Lutheran shot slightly better at 34.9% overall and 22.2% from long range, but only went 13-for-17 at the charity stripe.

Redlands sophomore forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) led the game with 21 points to go along with 11 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season. Barbetti-Cort also provided a strong performance for the Bulldogs with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Junior forward Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) stepped up her play tonight with an eight-point, four-rebound contribution.

Cal Lutheran (19-7) gained 19 points off the bench from Wright, while Whitley chipped in 12 points and three assists.