THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — All knotted up with four minutes running down on the clock, the Redlands Bulldogs had the last say, taking Wednesday night's game 74-67 from the Cal Lutheran Regals.
Leading the offense, freshman Cameron Mallory, sophomore Kailee Yan and senior Kayla Watterson each recorded double-digit nights. Mallory led with 14 points, her third highest total on the season and finished 4-10 from the floor and 4-7 behind the arc. Watterson added a season-high 13 points and Yan rounded out the group with ten.
Overall, the Regals shot 40.7 percent (22-54) from the floor and 36.0 percent (9-25) from three-point range, their best shooting percentage in both categories since January 23 at Chapman. In contrast, Redlands shot 46.3 percent (25-54) from field goal range and 42.9 percent (3-7) in threes.
Though Redlands took the two-possession advantage to start the game, a set of three consecutive treys by Ruhl and Mallory set Cal Lutheran back on top 13-12 seven minutes into the contest. From there, the toe-to-toe battle began, each team responding with an offensive wave of their own.
Redlands began with a nine-point unanswered scoring run to close out first quarter, but Cal Lutheran soon took their turn opening the second period with a 9-3 scoring run and tying things up at 24 apiece. Then just as Redlands began to pull away once again to close the half, back-to-back threes from guards Mallory and Yan cut the Regals deficit to 41-37 entering the locker room.
Cal Lutheran continued their stride into the back half of the contest, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-13 in the third. Yan sparked the rally with a deep three on the first possession of the quarter and Watterson and sophomore Jozie Tangeman quickly followed stride with scores in the paint.
Knotted up at 70 apiece at the 7:20-mark, Tangeman hit a crucial three with 4:26 on the clock to break the hold and put Cal Lutheran on top. However, a contested layup by Hannah Jerrier and the subsequent plus-one brought things even on the next play.
Finally breaking the stalemate once again, Cassandra Lacey began the Bulldogs' 11-4 run to end the game in the final two minutes of play, leading to Redlands final win over Cal Lutheran 74-67.
The loss moves Cal Lutheran to 9-15 overall and 6-9 in the Southeran California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Regals return to Gilbert Arena on Saturday, February 16, for the final matchup of the season against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas at 7 p.m. Make sure to arrive early as the team recognizes its four seniors – Grace Derksen, Rylie Wada, Kayla Watterson and Liana Minassian – prior to tip off.
Box Score: UR 74, CLU 67
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Release by Christy Effendie, Assistant Sports Information Director