The University of Redlands women's basketball team battled it out with the No. 24 Whitman College (WA) Blues on Tuesday night during the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic.  After earning a slight lead early in the second quarter, the Bulldogs struggled to maintain their offensive rhythm and ultimately fell by a score of 42-63.

Redlands came out on fire by shooting 54.5% while holding Whitman to a lowly 31.6% effort in the opening quarter.  After the Blues scored the first basket of the game, Redlands answered with a quick 5-0 run off the hands of junior guard Courtney Chen (La Canada, CA) and junior forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA).

The Bulldogs stayed in front over the next few possessions, with junior guard Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) contributing a lay-up and Ta'amu staying tough in the paint for two points.

Leading 9-6 at the midway point of the quarter, the Maroon and Gray continued to work the inside shot, as sophomore guard Mandy Silver (Scotts Valley, CA) fed a nice pass to Ta'amu for a basket with 2:38 left on the clock.

After the Blues answered by earning a 14-11 advantage late in the frame, Redlands' freshman guard Mariana Ecija (San Diego, CA) evened the tally with a trey-ball off of a Chen assist. One last missed shot by Whitman sent the teams to their benches knotted at 14 at the end of the first.

Freshman guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) and Ta'amu combined for the opening four points of the second stanza for Redlands' early 18-14 lead.

But the advantage was short-lived, as the Blues completed the second quarter on a 9-4 run to sit in front by a score of 30-25.

From here, Whitman kept the Bulldogs at bay with efficient shooting and tough defense. Redlands' offense struggled in the final frame, as junior guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA) provided a three-pointer and junior forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) added a lay-up for the team's only field goals.

Overall, Ta'amu led the Bulldogs with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while A. Silver supplied seven points and six boards.

Redlands (3-6) looks forward to opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Saturday, December 31, at 1 p.m. by facing the University of La Verne in Currier Gym.