The University of Redlands women's basketball team suffered its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) loss of the season with a 55-61 decision at Occidental College on Saturday evening. Despite knocking down two more overall shots than their opponents, the Bulldogs came up short at the free-throw line where the Tigers converted 21 of their 28 attempts, compared to Redlands' 10-for-18 performance.

In addition, a late scoring surge sent Occidental past the Maroon and Gray in a gritty battle of two talented teams.

Redlands held its largest lead of the game at 16-10 with 11:08 remaining in the opening period but Occidental rallied back to cut the lead to one at the break.

A back-and-forth battle ensued through most of the second stanza with neither team pulling away by more than four points.

Bulldog junior forward Courtney Carroll (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) tied the game for the sixth and final time when she hit both of her free throws to make it 46 apiece with 6:34 left on the clock.

Occidental eventually garnered a six-point lead for the first time all game with Makenzie Brandon dropping in eight of her 15 points in a three-minute span.

Redlands cut the deficit to four but never fully recovered en route to the hard-fought loss.

The Bulldogs gained double-digit performances from three players with Carroll leading the effort with 15 points. She also dished out four assists and nabbed four boards.

Freshman center Victoria Fakalata (East Palo Alto, CA) scored 13 off the bench while junior point guard Christina Rios (San Diego, CA) added 10, which included two baskets from three-point land. Junior guard Mariah Barbetti-Cort (Ventura, CA) pulled in a game-high 12 rebounds.

Occidental's Brandon paced the Tigers while Stephanie Scamman contributed 11 points as the only other double-digit scorer.

Redlands (8-6, 2-1 SCIAC) returns home to the friendly confines of Currier Gym on Thursday for a conference bout against the University of La Verne at 7:30 p.m.