The University of Redlands women's basketball team capped off its three-game swing on the East Coast with a 74-72 victory over the College of Staten Island (NY) on Saturday morning, notching its sixth consecutive win of the season in the process. With senior forward Brittany Oster (Agoura Hills, CA) leading the way, the Maroon and Gray trailed only once in the contest and held off a late push by the non-conference foes to go undefeated in the road-trip.
Against the Dolphins, Redlands recorded its largest lead of the game with 14:20 remaining in the first half at 14-4. After Oster scored 10 of the Bulldogs' first 11 points, junior guard Kameran Dage (Walnut Creek, CA) knocked down her first bucket from beyond the arc.
However, the Dolphins responded by upping the defensive pressure and forcing the Maroon and Gray into a five-minute scoring drought. Staten Island continued to chip away at the deficit, eventually overtaking the lead by firing off four three-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 26-24 with 3:12 to go in the opening frame.
But the Bulldogs quickly answered with freshman forward Nina Newman (San Mateo, CA) hitting back-to-back shots before Dage sank another long-range bucket to make it 32-29 for the Maroon and Gray.
Oster closed out the half with a pair of successful free-throws, as Redlands retreated to the locker room with a 34-31 halftime lead.
During the second stanza, the teams traded buckets early on, as the Dolphins continued to fight back against any size deficit that Redlands threw their way. Staten Island eventually made it 58-59 with 7:49 remaining when Katelyn Hepworth converted a lay-up for the Dolphins.
Moments later it remained a one-point game, before Redlands' Dage hit her third bucket from downtown at the 3:13-mark, moving the Bulldogs up by four at 67-63.
Regardless, the Dolphins stayed within striking distance by converting their free-throw attempts down the stretch.
With 10 seconds to go, the Bulldogs led by a score of 73-72, forcing the Dolphins to foul. With junior guard Marika Staton (El Centro, CA) at the line, the Maroon and Gray gained a three-point edge before Staten Island regained possession of the ball.
But the final jumper just missed, as time ticked down to one second and senior forward Madison Sanders-Curry (San Jose, CA) pulled in the critical defensive rebound for her game-leading 10th board of the game.
Oster finished with a game-high 22 points along with nine rebounds. Dage added 14 points, while Staton came off the bench for 11. Senior guard Colleen Goeser (San Carlos, CA) dished out six assists for Redlands.
Staten Island (6-2) gained 20 points from Melanie Johnson, while Hepworth chipped in 15 off the bench.
Overall, the teams both shot 37.7% from the field, but Redlands converted three more shots than the Dolphins, providing the difference in the two-point triumph. The Bulldogs notched 45 rebounds, including 16 on the offensive end, while Staten Island came up with 43 and 13, respectively.
Redlands (8-2) enjoys a short break before hosting the 2013 Winter Classic on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 27-28. Ripon College (WI) faces Chapman University in the event's opening contest at 5 p.m., before the Bulldogs battle it out with Beloit College (WI) at 7 p.m. on Friday. Fans may follow the action via live stats and/or web-streaming at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/redlands.portal#