The University of Redlands women's basketball team scored the first 11 points in Saturday's non-conference bout against La Sierra University, leading to a lopsided 71-47 victory over the Golden Eagles. However, the highlight of the night came in the form of senior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort's (Ventura, CA) first triple-double on 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. After missing the mark by one assist last season, the milestone became official with 4:15 left in tonight's game when she sank her final bucket from just inside the three-point arc.
The Bulldogs controlled the pace early by dominating the boards and hitting their shots. Sophomore forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) racked up five rebounds prior to La Sierra's inaugural basket of the night at the 14:09-mark.
A late first-half jumper by freshman forward Nicole Packard (Thousand Oaks, CA) made it a 20-point game for the Maroon and Gray. But a relentless La Sierra squad quickly cut it to 16 by the end of the period.
However, Redlands scored the first nine points of the second frame to make it 44-19. The Bulldogs continued to dictate the game while keeping their opponents at bay with a comfortable double-digit lead through the final whistle.
Besides Barbetti-Cort's impressive performance, senior forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) contributed a team-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Oster finished the night with nine rebounds in only 15 minutes of action.
For La Sierra (3-16), sophomore guard Natalia Hawthorne (Fontana, CA) scored more than 50% of her team's points, converting eight of her 15 shots and all but one of her free-throws for 25 points.
Overall, the Bulldogs shot 38.8% while utilizing 13 players, with 11 of them scoring at least one point.
The Maroon and Gray successfully crashed the boards, owning a 60-26 margin over the Golden Eagles. With six total blocks aiding in the cause, Redlands held La Sierra to 28.6% shooting.
Redlands (3-4) heads to Concordia University – Irvine on Dec. 20 for another non-conference tilt against an NAIA opponent, tipping off at 2 p.m.