The University of Redlands women's basketball team rattled off a late first-half run to secure a lead that it would not relinquish en route to a 76-71 victory over non-conference foe Concordia University Irvine on Tuesday afternoon.

After jumping out to a quick nine-point advantage, the Bulldogs later broke a 24-all tie with an 11-5 run to close out the opening period. Senior forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) led the Maroon and Gray with a near double-double in the opening 20 minutes, posting 10 points and eight rebounds. She finished with a game-high 23 points and 13 boards.

Although the Eagles rallied back to within four points on more than one occasion during the second period, Redlands stifled their efforts by holding a double-digit lead as late as two minutes to go in the game.

With effective free-throw shooting down the stretch, Concordia made it close in the final ledger.

Asia Auberry came off the bench for the Eagles with a 21-point performance, highlighted by an 11-for-15 showing from the charity stripe. Elisha Taylor also impressed as a non-starter with 14 points before fouling out of the game.

Besides Carroll, Redlands gained points from eight players, including junior guard Ashley Sevilla (San Diego, CA) with 11 and sophomore guard Marika Staton (El Centro, CA) with 10. Sophomore forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) chipped in eight points while stepping up with 12 rebounds.

Redlands (4-4) takes a few days off for the holidays before hosting the 2011 Winter Classic on Dec. 29-30. The Bulldogs face Edgewood College (WI) at 5 p.m. on the 29th and then battle it out with the University of Wisconsin – Platteville on the 30th.

For a complete schedule of games, please visit the tournament web page at http://www.goredlands.com/sports/wbkb/2011-12/files/Winter_Classic.