Despite rallying back from an early 18-point deficit, the University of Redlands women's basketball team came up short in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and suffered a hard-fought 83-90 double overtime loss to the Athenas in the rowdy confines of Ducey Gym.
The Bulldogs faced an uphill battle from the opening tip as the Redlands offense struggled to make its shots while turning over the ball, resulting in a five-and-a-half-minute drought to start the game.
Senior forward Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) finally initiated the Bulldog scoring with a three-pointer at 14:32 to go in the opening period.
Trailing by 18, the Bulldogs clawed their way back with a 23-4 run in the final nine minutes of the half to eventually take a 30-29 lead at the break.
Redlands kept up the pressure by earning a seven-point advantage just four minutes into the second stanza, but the Athenas refused to go away. A back-and-forth battle ensued with neither team gaining a significant edge in this critical SCIAC match-up.
Tied at 64 with 19 seconds left in the second half, junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) knocked down both free throws for Redlands to make it a two-point game.
On CMS' ensuing possession, Kalika Tullock found Madeline Barnes under the basket with eight seconds left to tie it for the seventh time that period.
The Bulldogs failed to put up a shot as time expired, extending the game to overtime.
During the first extra period, the Athenas garnered an early four-point lead at 70-66 and again at 72-68, but Barbetti-Cort drained a shot from beyond the arc to make it a one-point game at the three-minute mark.
After being sent to the foul line, freshman guard Jesse Luersen (Bend, OR) hit one of her free throws to tie it up at 72 apiece with 2:16 to go.
The teams traded baskets and then no one could convert, leaving the score tied in the final minute.
A late Bulldog turnover forced Redlands to foul with three seconds left on the clock.
Surprisingly, CMS missed both free throws, breathing new life into the Maroon and Gray.
Unfortunately, this is where Redlands' luck ran out as the Athenas rattled off a 9-2 run to start the second overtime period, resulting in an early seven-point advantage that proved to be the difference. Although senior forward Allison Clark (Altadena, CA) hit a jumper to cut it to three, the Bulldogs failed to further close the gap en route to the difficult loss.
While playing every minute of the marathon game, Barbetti-Cort led her team with 23 points, which included a 14-for-15 showing at the charity stripe. She also pulled in 12 rebounds and dished out four assists.
Clark contributed 18 points and seven rebounds, while Luersen came off the bench to score 14 points and nab four boards. Freshman forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) added 12 points and four rebounds as the only other double-digit performer for Redlands.
CMS (14-4, 4-3 SCIAC) looked to Aria Krumwiede to lead its offense with 24 points. Tullock added 22 points, while Jennifer Ringoen chipped in 14 points and 14 rebounds.
With the loss, Redlands (11-7, 5-2 SCIAC) remains in second place in the SCIAC standings and strives to rebound on Thursday with an important showdown with conference-leading Occidental College in Currier Gym at 7:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to show their Bulldog pride by wearing maroon for Thursday's "MAROON OUT" event.