The University of Redlands women's basketball team used a total-team effort on the second day of the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic, downing the visiting SUNY New Paltz Hawks, 63-40. With the win, the Bulldogs remain undefeated on the campaign with two non-conference victories of more than 20 points each.
In a back-and-forth opening 15 minutes, Redlands tied the game at 16-16 with 6:44 remaining before the break when senior forward Brittany Oster(Agoura Hills, CA) made a jump shot. The Bulldogs then took a lead which they would never relinquish when junior forward Nicole Packard(Thousand Oaks, CA) sank two free throws, propelling the U of R to a 16-7 run to end the first half.
During the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs shot just 11-of-30 from the field, but went 8-for-11 from the line, helping to build the nine-point lead by the break.
In the second half, the Maroon and Gray continued right where it left off by scoring the basketball quickly, going on a 15-0 run to begin the second stanza. During the offensive spurt, senior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) drained a jumper and Packard added a layup. In addition, junior guard Kaity Lykins (Simi Valley, CA) provided the Bulldogs with a couple of layups as Redlands built further on its advantage.
While New Paltz tried to mount a comeback, Redlands junior guard Caitlin Ciardella (South San Francisco, CA) nailed two shots from downtown to seal the deal for the Bulldogs late in regulation.
In the 23-point triumph, Oster tallied eight points and a team-best eight rebounds while also blocking two shots and nabbing a game-high six steals. Both Packard and Goeser chipped in with 10 points, while Lykins added nine. Moreover, sophomore forward Brinsley Farry (Ventura, CA) came off the bench and provided solid minutes for Redlands while shooting 4-for-4 from the field for eight points.
As a team, the U of R defense was stifling all evening long and forced the Hawks into 27 turnovers, while the Bulldogs racked up 16 steals in the process.
The U of R (2-0) returns to action on Friday November 22 when it travels to Santa Cruz for the Hampton Inn Classic. The Bulldogs face off against Whitman College (WA) on Friday at 3 p.m. before taking on Whitworth University (WA) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
In Saturday's first contest of the day, the Chapman University Panthers blew past the Lyndon State College (VT) Hornets, 83-46. The Panthers jumped on top early and never looked back, outscoring the Hornets by 14 in the first stanza to take a 38-24 lead into the break. In the second half, solid shooting and tough defense led the squad to its second-straight triumph in the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic.
Sandra Gao had another big day for the Panthers, scoring 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting to go along with a team-best 11 rebounds. She also added three assists and one steal. Complementing her strong offensive output was Kimi Takaoka with 16 points on a 7-for-13 shooting effort. For their impressive play throughout the two-day tournament, both Gao and Takaoka landed on the All-Tournament Team.
Joining the Panther duo on the All-Tournament Team were the two most outstanding players from the U of R during the tournament, Goeser and Oster, while Courtney Irby from SUNY New Paltz also received All-Tournament Team accolades.
For a complete list of all of the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic final scores, details, and All-Tournament teams, please visit the Tournament page.