The University of Redlands women's basketball team captured its fourth victory in a row with a solid 80-57 decision over the visiting Engineers of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) earlier tonight in Currier Gym.
The Bulldogs converted a five-point deficit into a 14-point lead by unleashing a 25-6 run through the 5:14 mark of the first half. During this stretch, junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) poured in 12 of her 16 points on the night.
Rensselaer cut it to seven in the final two minutes of the period but a three-point play by junior guard Christina Rios (San Diego, CA) and back-to-back Bulldog jumpers resulted in a 12-point advantage at the break.
During the second frame, Redlands made it 19 points on a lay-up by senior forward Allison Clark (Altadena, CA) with 13:30 left on the clock. She finished with a game-leading 18 points, which came off of 7-for-13 shooting.
A few minutes later, the Engineers moved within 16, but the Bulldogs turned back their efforts with stifling defense and continued solid shooting en route to the Maroon and Gray's fourth win in a row.
In addition to her 16 points, Barbetti-Cort nabbed nine rebounds and three steals while distributing six assists. Freshman forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) came off the bench for 10 points and seven rebounds.
With tonight's 14-point contribution, junior forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) now sits just 39 away from joining the 1,000-point club. She also added five rebounds and three steals against the Engineers.
RPI (3-6) gained double-digit performances from junior guard Sarah Wetmore and junior guard Lauren Hayes with 15 and 10, respectively.
The Bulldogs shot 46.9% overall and 85.7% from the charity stripe, as the Engineers mustered a 34.4% display from the field and a 64.3% performance from the line.
The Maroon and Gray dominated the boards with a 46 to 32 advantage.
Redlands (6-4) looks forward to hosting the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener on Saturday, January 8, with a 5 p.m. showdown against Cal Lutheran University.