The University of Redlands women's basketball team went on the road and used a total team effort on Saturday to prevail over Whittier College by a score of 77-61. With the victory, the Bulldogs move into a tie for second place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
While neither team shot the ball particularly well during the game, the Maroon and Gray was extremely efficient from the charity stripe, ultimately proving to be the difference in the 16-point triumph.
After a cold start to the contest, senior guard Ashley Sevilla (San Diego, CA) drained a three-pointer at the 14:02-mark, but thanks to five early free-throws, Redlands owned an 8-5 lead.
For the next nine minutes, it was back-and-forth with a couple of lead-changes. With just over five minutes remaining in the half, junior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) drained a long-range effort to put the U of R up by a score of 19-17.
The Bulldogs then closed out the half on a 12-9 run to take a 31-26 lead into the break. Despite only shooting 24.1% during the first 20 minutes, Redlands only missed one shot from the line, going 15-of-16 at the charity stripe. The Poets on the other hand went just 9-for-16 at the free-throw line and shot 26.7% from the floor.
It was a tight game to begin the second stanza, with the Poets cutting the Bulldogs' lead to just two less than five minutes into the action.
Redlands sophomore forward Vianna Amabile (Temecula, CA) and Sevilla then made a three-pointer each to contribute to a 10-2 run over the next two minutes, extending the Maroon and Gray's advantage to a comfortable 10 points.
U of R senior guard Allison Wong (Redding, CA) went on to score 11 of her team's next 14 points, as the Bulldogs built a 62-44 with 7:42 remaining in regulation. On the night, Wong finished a phenomenal, all-around effort, tallying 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.
The Maroon and Gray calmly finished out the contest, making the necessary field goals and free-throws to seal the triumph.
Junior guard Marika Staton (El Centro, CA) led Redlands in scoring with 15 points. In addition to going 11-of-12 from the line, she also nabbed four rebounds, one assist and one steal. Also shooting well at the line on the evening, junior guard Claire Stach (Portland, OR) provided a perfect 8-for-8 performance en route to her 12-point contribution. Finally, junior forward Madison Sanders-Curry (San Jose, CA) stepped up with another solid effort, recording 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
The Maroon and Gray shot just 32.8% from the floor on the night, but went 32-of-37 from the free-throw line. The Poets, however, shot a mere 56.7% from the line, going 17-of-30. The Bulldogs' defensive efforts were strong all as well, holding Whittier to a 33.3% shooting-effort from the field.
Redlands (15-5, 8-3 SCIAC) returns to action on Tuesday for a big game against Chapman University. The two teams are currently vying for a berth into the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, so this contest could prove to be crucial in determining which team garners a spot. Tip-off in Currier Gym is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.