The University of Redlands women's basketball team continued non-conference competition on Saturday night by facing off against the Trinity University (TX) Tigers in Currier Gym. The Bulldogs held a seven-point advantage after the first half but saw their lead slip away late in the game, resulting in the 52-59 defeat.
The Bulldogs grabbed their first advantage of the game in the 15th minute at 9-7 after sophomore forward Nina Newman (San Mateo, CA) laid two points up and in off the glass. Newman went on to score the next four points, as she knocked down a jumper and rolled in a lay-up.
The teams traded baskets throughout the next few minutes, resulting in an even tally at 18 apiece with 4:24 left in the opening frame.
However, Redlands displayed prominent defense by holding the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the stanza and took a 25-18 lead into the locker room. Senior guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA), senior forward Victoria Fakalata (East Palo Alto, CA), and senior point guard Caitlin Ciardella (South San Francisco, CA) all scored buckets for the Bulldogs during their 7-0 run.
Senior forward Nicole Packard (Thousand Oaks, CA) snagged the first two points for the Bulldogs in the second half after displaying a quality post-move.
However, the Tigers gathered some momentum and grabbed the lead at 34-33 with 12:53 left in the contest.
Trinity continued to roll, finishing off a 10-0 run to gain a seven-point advantage by the midway point of the stanza.
Despite the deficit, the Bulldogs rallied back to cut the Tiger lead to one after senior guard Kameran Dage (Walnut Creek, CA) and Newman drained two free-throws each to cap the comeback.
But the Tigers found another answer with a burst of scoring that included a pair of three-pointers by Lauren Splawn to make it 53-46 with five minutes to go.
Although Ciardella knocked down a late three-pointer to initiate the Bulldogs' final six-point spurt, it was not enough to complete the second-half rally.
For Trinity, Splawn posted a game-high 20 points, while Anecia Richardson added 15.
Dage led the Bulldogs with 12 points to go along with four rebounds. Ciardella and Newman chipped in 10 points apiece, while Fakalata and Packard shared the team-high with five rebounds each.
Overall, the Tigers out-shot the home team with a 42.9% showing, as compared to Redlands' 39.1% effort. However, the Bulldogs won the rebounding battle with 36 boards to Trinity's 24.
The Bulldogs (2-4) dive into Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Tuesday, December 16, when they take on the Caltech Beavers at 7:30 p.m. in Pasadena.
