The University of Redlands women's basketball team fell in overtime to the University of La Verne in last night's final regular-season game. After relinquishing an 11-point lead and then overcoming a 10-point deficit, the Bulldogs settled for a 77-78 loss to the Leopards but hold on to the second seed for the 2011 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament.
The Bulldogs host the third-seeded Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (19-6, 9-5 SCIAC) on Friday at 5 p.m. in a semifinal game.
Following an early tie on Tuesday night, Redlands capped off an 11-point lead with 5:03 left in the first period when senior forward Allison Clark (Altadena, CA) hit a jumper.
However, the Leopards rallied back with a 13-6 run to close within four at the break as three different La Verne players hit a basket from beyond the arc.
Less than two minutes into the second stanza, La Verne tied it up for the second time all game when Mia Roseboro nailed a three-pointer, making it 35 all.
With Clark and junior forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) in foul trouble, Redlands eventually faced a 10-point hole when ULV's Emily Carrillo knocked down another shot from long range at the nine-minute mark.
The Bulldogs clawed their way back with junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) scoring 13 of the team's 23 points in the last 8:55 of the second half.
Up by two off of a Barbetti-Cort three-pointer with 27 seconds on the clock, Redlands saw the Leopards force overtime when Carrillo made a big jumper to tie it at 69.
The Bulldogs had five seconds to nab the win but could not convert.
After exchanging buckets to open the extra period, the Maroon and Gray turned a one-point deficit into a three-point lead with just over a minute to go. Barbetti-Cort stepped up once again with back-to-back baskets to give the edge to the Bulldogs.
A quick steal and fast-break layup by Kelly Kika put La Verne in front with 43 seconds left.
Redlands had an opportunity to take the lead but the jumper would not fall, giving the ball back to the Leopards, who benefitted from another big basket from Carrillo with just four seconds to play.
The Bulldogs talked it over with a 30-second timeout and set up an inbounds play for Carroll, but her final look just missed, resulting in the tough loss for the Bulldogs
Barbetti-Cort poured in a career-high 32 points, which came off of 12-for-17 shooting with four three-pointers. Carroll and Clark backed her with 14 points apiece. Senior forward Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) added seven points and distributed a team-high four assists.
La Verne gained 29 points from Carrillo, who went 12-for-22 from the floor. Kika contributed 10 points as the only other double-digit scorer.
Redlands (16-9, 10-4 SCIAC) slightly won the shooting battle, converting 49.2% of its shot, while La Verne sank 42.2%.
The Leopards (12-13, 9-5 SCIAC) needed the overtime win to nab the final spot in the 2011 SCIAC Postseason Tournament and look forward to taking on conference champion Occidental College in Friday's other semifinal.
The highest remaining seed hosts the championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m.
