The University of Redlands women's basketball team capped off its three-game road-trip with an afternoon showdown against Lewis & Clark College (OR) on Saturday in Portland, OR. Although the Bulldogs battled to combat the Pioneers' strong offensive showing, their efforts fell short in a 71-88 loss.

After trailing by three early, freshman guard Mariana Ecija (San Diego, CA) tied it up on a three-pointer with 8:45 left in the first quarter.  The Pios answered with five-straight points, before junior guard Angela Silver's (Scotts Valley, CA) free-throw made it 4-8.  Redlands kept fighting with efficiency at the charity stripe, staying within four points with 1:34 to go.  However, the home team rallied to extend its lead to 10 points by the end of the opening frame, forcing the Bulldogs to face an uphill battle in the remaining three periods.

The second quarter saw the Maroon and Gray cut the deficit to six after junior forward Allison Siksnus' (Placentia, CA) three-pointer, a jumper by senior guard Jade Cheldelin (Portland, OR), and five converted free-throws.  Siksnus and sophomore guard Mandy Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) knocked in back-to-back lay-ups to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance, but the Pios finished out the first half on a 17-7 run to keep Redlands at bay throughout the remainder of the game.

Junior forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) led Redlands with 18 points, including an 8-for-10 effort at the charity stripe.  Siksnus chipped in 11 points off the bench, as senior forward Sydney Bennett (Agoura Hills, CA) and A. Silver added 10 points apiece.

Redlands (1-4) heads home to the friendly confines of Currier Gym for a 7 p.m. non-conference showdown against Hope International University on Thursday, December 1.