The University of Redlands women's basketball team traveled to Whittier College on Thursday and came home with a solid 85-57 victory over the Poets to remain in a first-place tie in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings. The Bulldogs shot 59.3% for the game, highlighted by a 52.7% performance from beyond the arc. Junior guard Ashley Sevilla (San Diego, CA) and sophomore guard Marika Staton (El Centro, CA) led the long-range onslaught by combining for nine of the team's 10 three-pointers.

Redlands made it an 18-10 game less than eight minutes into the action as Sevilla knocked down her first four shots from beyond the arc.

A few minutes later, Whittier cut the deficit to five at 26-31 with 4:21 remaining in the half.

But the Maroon and Gray quickly responded with an 11-5 run to finish out the opening stanza with a 42-31 advantage. Senior forward Courtney Carroll(Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) chipped in six of her points during this span of scoring.

The teams traded blows through the 12:04 mark of the second frame, with neither squad gaining much momentum. With a 54-48 lead, the Bulldogs blew it open with a 17-0 run that propelled them to their eighth SCIAC victory of the season. During this stretch, Sevilla drained her final two three-pointers to finish the night with 18 points.

Staton posted a career-high 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including three buckets from long range. She also dished out five assists and nabbed four steals. Sophomore guard Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) added 16 points while sophomore forward Victoria Fakalata (East Palo Alto, CA) came of the bench for 12 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) added a well-rounded effort with nine points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.

Whittier (6-14, 3-6 SCIAC) was led by Dannika Navales-Lugtu's 17-point performance.  The Poets shot 47.9% of their shots but only landed two of them fron long range.

Redlands (14-6, 8-1 SCIAC) heads to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday for a 5 p.m. tip-off during a conference doubleheader with the men.