Oster’s Big Night Leads U of R Women’s Basketball to Crucial SCIAC Victory over La Verne, 68-48

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With senior forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) leading the way, the University of Redlands women's basketball team dominated the University of La Verne on Thursday evening, 68-48.  In another important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) matchup for the Bulldogs, timely offense and solid defense led to the comfortable road victory.

Neither team started the game shooting well, as two minutes into the contest, the score was still tied at 0-0.  Senior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) did get the Bulldogs on the board at the 17:49 mark in the first stanza, however, sinking a jumper.

The two sides went back-and-forth over the next several minutes, but with 14:12 left in the first half, Oster converted a layup opportunity to put the Bulldogs up, 10-8.

In the latter stages of the first stanza, Goeser drained a shot from beyond the arc, increasing the U of R advantage to 29-18.  Redlands then finished out the half and took a 33-21 lead into the break.  While shooting only 36.6% during the first 20 minutes, Redlands dominated the glass and out-rebounded the Leopards, 25-13, creating a number of second-chance opportunities that resulted in points.

In the second stanza, the Maroon and Gray came out firing, extending its advantage to 40-23 when junior guard Kameran Dage (Walnut Creek, CA) made a layup, capping off a quick 7-2 run to begin the stanza for the Bulldogs.

The Leopards (12-8, 7-4) cut the deficit to 11 points on a couple of occasions, but they would get no closer.  For every run that La Verne made, the Bulldogs had an answer.  Midway through the second half, Bulldog junior guard Caitlin Ciardella (South San Francisco, CA) hit the timely three-pointer that sent the Bulldogs on a 19-6 run, essentially sealing the contest with over five minutes to play.

U of R sophomore guard Brittney Zec (Broomfield, CO) ended the game on a high note for the Bulldogs, draining a long jumper off of a nifty pass from sophomore forward Ashton Beth (Windsor, CA).

In the triumph, Oster racked up 25 points and 16 boards to go along with four assists, one steal, and one block.  In addition, Goeser added 15 points and six assists, while senior forward Madison Sanders-Curry (San Jose, CA) notched seven points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

As a team, Redlands shot 40.6% from the field, while playing stifling defense and holding La Verne to just a 34.0% shooting mark on the night.  Sharing the ball all evening long, the Maroon and Gray dished out 17 assists as a team, while also forcing the Leopards into 23 turnovers.

Redlands (16-5, 9-3 SCIAC) returns to action on Saturday evening when it hosts Occidental College (11-10, 5-7 SCIAC).  Tipoff in this important conference matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Currier Gym.