REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Basketball team got their 2021-22 campaign underway Friday night inside Currier Gym beating Linfield University 75-61.
The reigning 2019-20 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Champions proved tough for the Wildcats seeing four of five starters reach double figures. Senior Alyssa Downs (South San Francisco, CA) despite having early foul trouble led the way for the Maroon and Grey with a 20-point performance, going 7-of-17 from the field, four of which came from three-point territory. She also added three boards and a steal.
The length of Hannah Jerrier (Canton, MA) and Julia Balestreri (Pleasanton, CA) proved tough inside for Linfield all night. Jerrier put up a near double double with 14 points and nine boards, but made her presence felt on the defensive end picking up three steals and three assists. Balestreri proved a nice spark off the bench playing just nine minutes but put up seven points, five boards and a block.
Chyanne Pagkalinawan (Valencia, CA) played a pivotal role as point guard playing 35 minutes, pouring in 14 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Her counterpart Angelina Roque (San Diego, CA) who also faced early foul trouble played physical all night leading to a 14-ppoint performance with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The story of the night was the press put on by the Bulldogs. They played in it all night forcing 19 turnovers and getting 16 points off of them. They held the advantage on the glass at 40-38, won the battle in the paint 26-22 and received 12 second chance points.
After the 1st Quarter the Bulldogs only held a three-point advantage at 16-13. But that small margin then increased to 14 as Redlands outscored the Wildcats 20-9 over the second eight minutes. They forced seven turnovers and shot 33.3% in the frame as they took a 36-22 lead into the half.
Linfield tried to comeback in the second half putting up 18 in the 3rd Quarter and then another 21 in the 4th, but it wouldn't be enough to complete the road win. Downs would finish the 3rd Quarter off with five unanswered, which included a long triple that extended the lead to 20. Then an early 6-0 run to start the 4th, which included a layup from Jerrier, a free throw from Roque and a triple from Pagkalinawan would put the game away as UR would win their first game of the season.
"It was nice seeing the team ready to play tonight," explained Head Coach Rich Murphy. "I was really happy with how the girls played. We need to work on free throws, but overall a great performance both offensively and defensively for the first game of the season."
Redlands returns to the court next weekend, November 19-20 when they host the bulldog-Panther Classic. They begin with a match-up against Willamette on the 19th beginning at 7:00pm before taking on Wheaton (Ill.) on the 20th beginning at 5:00pm.
