The University of Redlands women's basketball team returned home to Currier Gym on Wednesday night for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) battle against Chapman University. Despite a stellar effort in the second half that included a 58% shooting display, the Bulldogs came up on the losing end of a 55-67 decision.
After a slow start that resulted in a 10-point deficit at halftime, the Maroon and Gray worked to make the necessary adjustments late in the third quarter. With 4:57 left in the period, Head Coach Rich Murphy called a timeout to address the 24-41 hole his team faced. Less than a minute later, senior forward Allison Siksnus(Placentia, CA) hauled in an offensive board and immediately laid it up and off the glass for two points. After senior forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) converted a pair of free-throws on the Bulldogs' ensuing possession, senior guard Courtney Chen (La Canada, CA) pickpocketed the Chapman guard in the backcourt and drove the lane for the bucket to reinvigorate her team. She kept grinding out big plays for the Maroon and Gray, as she knocked down a trey-ball with 2:43 left in the third quarter. Although Redlands still trailed by 15 points, this burst of success breathed new life into the home team. The Bulldogs closed out the final two minutes with a 7-0 run, with Siksnus, Ta'amu, first-year forward Camille Mosley (Riverside, CA), and senior guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA) each scoring points.
Down 40-48 with 10 minutes to play, Redlands continued to shoot well and successfully drew the fouls for a 15-point effort in the fourth quarter. First-year guard Alyssa Lee (Monterey Park, CA) and Ta'amu accounted for all six of the Bulldogs' free-throws, while Dixon tossed in five points. Unfortunately, it was not enough to answer Chapman's offense, which remained efficient through the end of the game.
Ta'amu led the Maroon and Gray with 17 points, as highlighted by an 11-for-13 showing from the charity stripe. She also pulled in a team-high eight rebounds. Siksnus finished as the Bulldogs' only other double-digit scorer with 10 points. Lee added eight points and four assists.
Redlands (5-7, 1-3 SCIAC) hosts Caltech as part of a SCIAC doubleheader with the men on Saturday, January 6. Following the men's game at 2 p.m., the women face the Beavers at 4 p.m. in Currier Gym.