written by Jalen Kang

CLAREMONT, Calif. – Despite a dominant first half, the Regals couldn't hold off the Sagehens' late surge, as Cal Lutheran women's basketball fell just short in a 64-61 loss to Pomona-Pitzer in its SCIAC opener on Wednesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Regals (4-2, 0-1 SCIAC) came out firing, opening the game on a 10-0 run over the first four minutes. Aliya DiMuro converted two quick layups, Sara Mills added a fast-break bucket, and Alline Ballard capped the run with a jumper in the paint. The Regals dominated the boards early, grabbing 12 rebounds in the first quarter en route to a 19-7 lead.

The Regals held the Sagehens (6-2, 2-0 SCIAC) to just 22.2% from the field in the first half and enjoyed a lead as big as 17 points at the 3:31 mark of the second quarter. However, the Sagehens began to chip away late in the second quarter with a 6-0 run, trimming the deficit to 31-18 at halftime.

The third quarter saw a dramatic shift as Pomona-Pitzer took back momentum, going on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 41-41. The Sagehens capitalized on a shooting slump from the Regals, who went just 3-for-16 in the quarter. The Regals regained the lead late in the quarter when Ballard secured an offensive rebound, drew a foul, and converted both free throws to give the Regals a 45-41 edge heading into the fourth.

In the final quarter, Pomona-Pitzer continued its momentum with a 14-4 run to take a 57-53 lead with under two minutes to play. Despite a late push by the Regals, including a layup by Karina McMillan to cut the lead to 59-61 with 0:16 remaining, the Sagehens sealed the game at the free-throw line. Down by three with three seconds left and no timeouts, Mills dribbled through the Sagehens' full-court press but couldn't heave up a potential game-tying shot as time expired. 

The Sagehens flipped the script on the boards in the second half, out-rebounding the Regals 22-9 in the final two quarters. 

FROM HEAD COACH KELLI DIMURO
On making adjustments in crunch time: "Playing together and communicating had to be a priority," said DiMuro. "We need to take care of the ball, make our easy shots, and take more pride in rebounding." 

UP NEXT
The Regals return to Gilbert Arena to take on Redlands this Saturday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m.