Despite facing an early 11-point deficit while struggling with turnovers, the University of Redlands women's basketball team rallied past regional foe Chapman University in a hard-fought 74-72 victory on Tuesday night in Currier Gym. In a game with questionable calls and awkward plays, the Bulldogs relied on their solid shooting and persistent rebounding to pull out the two-point win.

The Panthers took control early with their oppressive full-court press, rattling the Bulldogs to force 17 turnovers in the opening period. In addition, Chapman shot well to earn a 29-18 lead with just over five minutes to play in the first half. Critical free-throws in the waning minutes allowed Redlands to cut the lead to six at the break.

In the first five minutes of the second half, the Bulldogs fought back to eventually tie it at 37 when senior guard Ali Bueno (San Jose, CA) knocked down a three-pointer. With new life, the Maroon and Gray took its first lead of the game when junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) hit two free-throws. Thirty seconds later, sophomore guard Katy Coyne's (Scottsdale, AZ) jumper made it a four-point game with 14:13 remaining in the second half.

Following a back-and-forth battle in the ensuing minutes, Chapman captured a one-point lead off of consecutive free-throws by sophomore guard Mary Petrie (Redmond, WA) to make it 69-68 with 49 seconds left on the clock. On the next possession, Redlands struggled to find the open shot and eventually forced the ball out of bounds off Chapman but with only three seconds on the shot-clock. After a Panther timeout, the Bulldogs set up a quick inbounds play, giving the ball to Coyne who connected on an off-balanced jumper to give Redlands a one-point lead with 17 seconds to go.

Forced to foul, Chapman put the game in the hands of sophomore forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA), who was 7-for-7 from the line at the time. She extended Redlands' lead by hitting both free throws, making it a 72-69 game.

A missed desperation three-pointer by the Panthers, followed by a defensive rebound by Carroll and another foul, put her back on the line for two more free-throws, going 11-for-11 on the night.

Despite a last-ditch three-pointer by Chapman's junior guard Casey Gomez (Irvine, CA), the Bulldogs prevailed by a score of 74-72 in a grueling and physical match.

Besides Carroll's excellent free-throw shooting, she led the team in scoring with 19 points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds. Redlands also gained 17 points from Barbetti-Cort, while Bueno chipped in 12 points, including three three-pointers. Senior forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.

Chapman was led by Gomez's 20 points, while senior guard Linda Ly (San Gabriel, CA) and junior forward Simone Ibbotson (Huntington Beach, CA) each supplied 18 points.

Overall, Redlands shot 53.7% from the field, compared to Chapman's mark of 43.8%. The Panthers bested the Bulldogs from the free-throw line as well as from beyond the arc, hitting 42.9% and 83.3%, respectively. However, the Maroon and Gray won the rebounding battle by a 35 to 22 margin, including one more on the offensive end.

The Bulldogs (10-3) return to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action with a 7:30 p.m. game at Caltech on Thursday.