The University of Redlands women's basketball team took on the Pacific University (OR) Boxers during its second game of the Hyatt December Classic at UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday afternoon.  After a lucrative first quarter, Redlands battled through a challenging second to eventually end up in a stalemate at the end of regulation. Unfortunately, the Maroon and Gray's offense struggled in the extra period en route to a 58-66 loss.

Redlands came out firing and quickly built a 7-2 advantage that included sophomore guard Alyssa Lee's (Monterey Park, CA) game-opening three-pointer.  First-year guard Alyssa Downs (South San Francisco, CA) added to the arsenal with a trey-ball and jumper to stretch the Bulldogs' advantage to 12-6.

Although Pacific orchestrated a 10-2 run to take the lead, Redlands refused to back down.  Junior guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) scored the final five points of the quarter to put the Bulldogs back up, 19-16.

Neither squad created much offense in the second stanza, as the teams combined for 14 points.  First-year guard Kim Friedman (Agoura, CA) played all 10 minutes for the Maroon and Gray and notched a much-needed bucket midway through the frame.

Following the halftime break, the teams woke up offensively, with Redlands shooting 50% overall and Pacific converting three baskets from downtown in the third quarter.  The score remained close, as sophomore guard Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA) and sophomore forward Camille Mosley (Riverside, CA) each converted buckets to regain the Bulldogs' lead on different occasions. 

However, the Boxers managed to go up by a score of 36-33 with about four minutes to go in the third.  After a pair of free throws, Downs stepped back for the go-ahead three-pointer off a dime of a pass from Lacey to put Redlands in front, 38-37, with nine seconds left on the clock.

During the fourth quarter, the teams traded buckets and free throws to keep things close.  After Friedman's second layup of the game, Redlands held a 45-42 advantage with 6:33 remaining.  The Bulldogs kept their lead until the 3:46-mark when the Boxers tied it up on a well-timed three. 

But Mosley's second-chance layup provided a quick response for the Maroon and Gray.  A few possessions later, she hit another bucket off a sweet give-and-go play from Lacey, but Pacific continued to come up with the shots from deep to even the tally. 

Lacey's late midrange jumper gave the Bulldogs a 55-53 lead with about a minute remaining.  Nonetheless, the Boxers' ensuing play out of a timeout allowed them to tie it up and send the game into overtime.

Unfortunately, Redlands' offense went cold in the extra period, leaving the Bulldogs on the outside of this one, 58-66.

The usual suspects carried the Bulldogs, as Lacy paced them with 23 points and Downs chipped in 14.  Dack and Mosley added seven points apiece, while Dack also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds.

Redlands (2-8) remains on the road for three games in Orange, beginning with two contests at the Chapman Winter Classic.  First, the Bulldogs take on the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg (PA) at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 28, before battling it out against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Saturday, December 29, at 1 p.m.