After back-to-back losses, the University of Redlands women's basketball team rebounded in fine fashion on Sunday with a decisive 71-55 victory over Division III opponent UC Santa Cruz.  Despite late comeback runs by the Banana Slugs, the Bulldogs maintained their composure and continued to pull away with strong shooting and stifling defense.

The early part of the game saw a back-and-forth contest with UCSC gaining a five-point lead at 15:51 in the first half.  However, Redlands responded with relentless defense that resulted in 23 points off of 23 Slug turnovers.  Although UCSC moved within three late in the second half, the Bulldogs took advantage of opportunities and handled the ball well to hold the lead.

Sophomore forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) led the way once again for the Bulldogs, scoring a season-high 26 points to lead the both teams.  In addition, Redlands boasted three other players in double figures with senior guard Valerie Katayama (Huntington Beach, CA) adding 13, junior post player Lindsey McFerran (Lakewood, CA) providing 12, and sophomore guard Ali Bueno (San Jose, CA) chipping in 11.  As a team, Redlands shot 36.4% from the field, accompanied by a much improved 78.8% from the free-throw line.

Santa Cruz gained 14 points from senior point guard Talia Joyce (Carson City, NV) while sophomore forward Jessica Andrusaitis (Durham, CA) added 12.  Junior forward Melissa Junge (Sunnyvale, CA) rounded out the double-digit figures for Santa Cruz with 10 points.

Later this month, Bulldog women's basketball (5-3) continues non-conference play on the road in Michigan at the Kalamazoo Classic. On December 29, Redlands takes on Kalamazoo College (MI) at 4 p.m. EST and then faces Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on December 30 at 2 p.m. EST.  Redlands returns home on January 10 for the first conference game of the season and hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 7:30 p.m.