The University of Redlands women's basketball team moved into sole possession of third place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) by defeating the visiting Leopards of the University of La Verne in Currier Gym on Wednesday during Cancer Awareness Night. With the solid 89-63 victory, the Bulldogs strive to shore up that spot in the standings prior to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, which begins on February 22.
Just four days after scoring her 1000th point, senior forward Reyna Ta'amu (Lakewood, CA) poured in a career-high 27 points in a fine showing. Overall, Redlands notched its highest point total of the season at 89, which came off of an impressive 53.6% shooting effort. In addition, the Bulldogs held the conference's leading scorer Clarissa Perez to a mere seven points.
The Maroon and Gray broke open a four-all tie with a 14-4 scoring run off of a balanced attack early in the first quarter. Senior forward Allison Siksnus (Placentia, CA) and Ta'amu joined forces inside the paint for eight of those points, while senior guard Caitlyn Dixon (Seattle, WA) and sophomore guard Lindsay Kilgore (Mira Loma, CA) each knocked down a trey-ball.
After La Verne cut it to eight on a quick jumper, Redlands regained a double-digit lead through the end of the first quarter. First-year forward Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA) led the final push with a six-point effort.
The home team converted a whopping 66.7% of its shots in the opening 10 minutes.
The Bulldogs continued to roll in the second stanza, as Ta'amu maintained her presence in the paint. In addition, Kilgore stepped back for a pair of three-pointers to eventually extend the home team's lead to 15 points by the midway point of the game at 44-29.
Redlands kept its foot on the offensive gas pedal during the third and fourth quarters, as the Leopards struggled to find an answer for an efficient Ta'amu in the lane. Furthermore, sophomore guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) stepped up with 11 of her 15 points in the second half.
Senior forward Angela Silver (Scotts Valley, CA), Lacey, and Dixon played a pivotal role in orchestrating the offense by dishing out 19 assists collectively.
Beyond her 27 points, Ta'amu pulled in a game-high 16 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Lacey and Siksnus each chipped in 15 points, while Siksnus snagged seven rebounds.
First-year forward Camille Mosley (Riverside, CA), Dack, and Kilgore joined forces to score 26 points off the bench.
Redlands (13-10, 8-6 SCIAC) heads to Pasadena on Saturday, February 10, for a 7 p.m. tip-off against the Caltech Beavers.