LOS ANGELES — Cal Lutheran women's basketball came up just short and fell to the Occidental Tigers 67-71 on Wednesday night. The loss brings the Regals' overall record to 8-3 and  2-2 in conference.

Sara Mills led Cal Lutheran as she put up 18 points. She was followed by Naomi Gipson and Aliya DiMuro who had 12 points each. Mills and Karina McMillan had five rebounds each, Janna Holley dished out five assists and Gipson had three steals.

The Tigers controlled the game shooting 50-percent from the field while the Regals shot 38.7. Oxy also had the advantage at the free throw line. The Tigers shot 19 free throws, compared to the Regals' five, and made 14 of them.

Cal Lutheran began a little rocky as the Tigers took an early 7-2 lead. The Regals fought hard as they tried to disrupt the Tigers' momentum, cutting the lead to 9-6. The Tigers were barely bothered as they went up 19-12. Cal Lutheran finally had enough as the Regals scored seven points in a row, tying the game. The Tigers retaliated quickly as they took back the lead 19-21. Their lead was short lived as Mills made a three-point jump shot with 22 seconds left in the quarter.

Both teams came into the second quarter reinvigorated. Cal Lutheran and Occidental traded shots, with the Tigers pulling ahead. Occidental really began to find their pace as they held the lead 28-24. The Regals didn't stay down for long though, as they tied the score 30-30. The game stayed close as both teams inched forward with Occidental barely in the lead 33-32. The Tigers kept the scoring coming and has a 40-34 lead at the half.

Cal Lutheran fought back in the third and eventually tied the score at 43-43. Occidental answered with a run of its own and went up 51-43. The Regals tried to catch up, but Occidental maintained their lead, and after three quarters were up 55-47.

In the fourth, Cal Lutheran continued to trade shots with Occidental, but the Tigers held their ground and pushed the lead to 65-56. The Regals began to make a comeback as they scored three points in a row, bringing their score to 65-59. The Tigers tried to keep them down, but the Regals stayed strong as they climbed higher to 67-64. Cal Lutheran tried to hold their defensive and offensive lines, but the Tigers found their rhythm once again and won the game 71-67.

The Regals next game will be at home in Gilbert Arena against Caltech on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Box Score: OXY 71, CLU 67
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