THOUSAND OAKS — Everything was going the Tigers' way.
They had overcome a sloppy first half, extended a 14-point lead with most of the second-half gone and looked like they would payback the team that ended their 2011-12 season early in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinals.
But Cal Lutheran got hot, the Tigers got cold and the Occidental College women's basketball team was dealt its toughest loss of the season, one that seemed almost certainly headed for the win column.
Makenzie Brandon (Seattle) had a game-high 25 points and 13 rebounds and Elizabeth Messick(Reno, Nev.) had eight points, 11 rebounds, six blocks and three steals.
Oxy was rolling.
After being outrebounded 26-18 and turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, the Tigers went on a 12-3 run at the beginning of the second half that helped them build a cushion they would hold until shots started falling for the Regals with around 7 minutes left.
Marquisha Corley (Tucson, Ariz.) helped Oxy spark the early second-half run with defense, a pair of free throws, a layup and a runner. She also found Messick for a bucket, Brandon hit a jumper in the lane and Liz Little (Littleton, Colo.) scored in transition, swinging the momentum in Oxy's favor.
Later in the half, Alyssa Mort (Tucson, Ariz.) scored six straight, giving Oxy a 54-40 lead, its largest of the game around the 10-minute mark.
But then things started going the Regals' way.
Natalie Stone hit a three pointer in the corner, Channing Fleishmann hit a mid-range jumper and Keeley Anderson hit a three that cut Oxy's lead to 64-63. Then with 2 minutes left, Mort got caught on a baseline screen and Fleishmann scored the biggest of her team-high 15 points, a three-pointer that gave the Regals their first lead since their 29-27 edge at halftime.
Erica Whitley, who finished with 14, hit a pair of free throws to put the Regals up 68-65, Stone hit the insurance bucket and the Tigers never really got another good look until Brandon hit a desperation three, down five, to make the final 70-68 just before time expired.
The Tigers host Caltech at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Rush Gymnasium. The Regals play at Whittier on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.