The University of Redlands women's basketball pulled out a late 60-53 victory over the visiting Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Thursday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown in Currier Gym.

After relinquishing an early nine-point lead, the Bulldogs settled for 27-all tie at the halftime break.

Five minutes into the second period, the game saw another tie at 37-37 with neither team garnering control of the contest.

CMS finally charged ahead with a 14-6 run to gain an eight-point lead when junior guard Taylon Johnson (Prairie Village, KS) knocked down a jumper with 7:53 left on the clock.

However, the Bulldogs rattled off nine unanswered points to take a 52-51 lead with 2:43 remaining in the second half. During this stretch, Redlands stepped up its defense with a huge block by junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA), which led to a critical shot-clock violation by the Athenas.

After CMS' sophomore center Frannie Hemmelgarn (Seattle, WA) hit a jumper, Redlands' junior forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) responded by draining an open-look three-pointer for a 55-53 advantage with 1:22 to go in the game.

Moments later the official rang up the CMS bench on a technical foul, leading to two made free-throws by sophomore guard Ashley Sevilla (San Diego, CA) and the ball for the Bulldogs.

A long pass from Sevilla led Barbetti-Cort to the basket, resulting in seven consecutive points in a 36-second span for Redlands en route to the hard-fought victory.

Carroll led the Bulldogs with 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and six assists. Barbetti-Cort garnered a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards, while also rejecting three shots. Senior forward Allison Clark (Altadena, CA) and Sevilla each chipped in 10 points.

CMS gained 13 points and four steals from Hemmelgarn. Junior guard Aria Krumwiede (Scottsdale, AZ) added 12 points for the Athenas.

With the win, Redlands (15-8, 9-3 SCIAC) sits alone in second place, just one game behind Occidental College, in the SCIAC race. A three-way tie for third continues as teams vie for the last two tournament spots.

The Bulldogs host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday at 5 p.m. for "Senior Night," followed by the men's game at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday's contests also include Fan Appreciation Night with the first 100 fans receiving a complimentary Bulldog Basketball T-shirt, courtesy of the Athletic Department and the Bulldog Bench.