REDLANDS, Calif. - The University of Redlands Women's Basketball team saw their run for back-to-back Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament titles come to an end Thursday night as they fell 71-66 in double OT to No. 4 Whittier College.
The Bulldogs end their season 19-5, 14-2 SCIAC and do have an outside chance to earn a berth into the NCAA Division III National Championships as an At-Large. But it will be a tall task as it will come down to the selection committee on Sunday.
It was a packed house inside Currier Gym and the match-up proved to be the game of the tournament as it went to double overtime, the first OT game of the season for the Maroon and Grey. They had opportunities late, leading by six with 3:06 left, had six free throw attempts where they went 1-for-6 and had two looks for game winners at the end of regulation and the end of the first OT period. But they couldn't convert and kept Whittier in the game as they would go on to outscore the Bulldogs 8-3 over the final five minutes to claim the upset.
Redlands shot 36.7% from the free-throw line, 35% from three-point territory, and 57.7% from the free-throw line. They grabbed 40 rebounds, added 14 points off turnovers, collected 16 points in the paint and totaled 14 assists.
Three Bulldogs recorded double figures with Angelina Roque (San Diego, CA) posting an 18-point effort, which included a 10-for-14 mark at the free throw line. Alyssa Downs (South San Francisco, CA) added 14 points with six assists and Hannah Jerrier (Canton, MA) put up seven points and 15 boards (13 defensive). Off the bench Leah Tan (Alhambra, CA) provided a spark with 10 points, going 3-for-4 from deep, while Julia Balestreri (Pleasanton, CA) finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
It was a slow start once again for Redlands getting outscored 17-15 in the opening quarter. The Poets attacked the basket early with four layups to go in front 9-6. But five in a row by UR would swing the momentum with Roque and Jerrier putting together six in a row that gave Redlands a lead 10-9. Eight straight by the Purple & Gold would extend their lead to six as Teani White and Lainie James would knock down a pair of triples. But with :33 seconds left Chyanne Pagkalinawan (Valencia, CA) would tack on two free throws followed by a buzzer beater from Downs that moved the score to 17-15.
Whittier managed to add another 17 points in the 2nd Quarter highlighted by White who put up 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Her biggest buckets came right before the half when she knocked down back to back three-pointers with under a minute to play that turned a one-point UR lead into a five-point advantage for the Poets at the break.
Out of the half Redlands started clicking on both ends of the floor holding Whittier to single digits, while putting up 12 points. The defensive unit held White to just one point and the offense added six of eight points early to make it a two-point game. But somehow Whittier always had an answer as James would knock down a triple with 5:56 left followed by a Bella Robles layup inside moving the score to 42-36.
Trailing by five with under a minute to play Downs was able to get open from behind the arc and would knock down a three-pointer that made it a two-point game at 43-41. In the 4th Quarter Balestreri came alive adding the first two baskets for the Maroon and Grey as they would tie the game up quickly at 45-45. They then carried the momentum with Tan adding a free throw and Downs converting a long range triple that put UR on top 49-45. But again the Purple & Gold had a response as White would knock down a jumper. At the 4:51 mark Tan came up with her biggest shot of her career draining a corner pocket three that pushed the advantage back to six, 52-47. That lead then grew to eight with 4:01 left as Downs followed with another three-pointer that brought Bulldog Nation to their feet.
But over the next 3:41 the Poets would respond with eight straight, which included the eventual game tying bucket coming from freshman Kailynn Tuck who was left alone on a backdoor as the Bulldog defensive unit swarmed White. During this stretch Redlands was also held scoreless forcing the game into extra time, despite having a look for the game winner from Jerrier.
Both teams put up eight points in the first OT period. WC led 58-56 two minutes in and then 59-57 with 1:41 left. But somehow Roque had ice running through her veins as she would score the final six points for the Bulldogs, which included four free throws coming under a minute to play, the last two coming with :19 seconds left that deadlocked the game sending it to the second OT period.
Whittier got off to a quick start in the final period with Rhe Nae Leach putting up a jumper and a layin making it a four point game. White then knocked down a free throw to make it a five point deficit with :33 seconds left and despite Jerrier adding a layin and Roque going 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, it wouldn't be enough to come away with the win as Whittier would hold on for the road upset.
