The University of Redlands women's basketball team shouldered its first loss in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) this season with a 54-71 defeat to Cal Lutheran University on Saturday.

Despite sophomore guard Alyssa Downs' (South San Francisco, CA) three-pointer to open up scoring for the Bulldogs in the first quarter, the Regals built a 21-5 advantage by the final minute of the period. Junior guard Alyssa Lee (Monterey Park, CA) drained a triple with 1:11 to go, but Cal Lutheran ended the quarter with a 23-8 lead.

In the second, the Maroon and Gray began to gain momentum with a 7-4 run, paced by four points from senior guard Cassandra Lacey (Victorville, CA) to cut their deficit to 34-13 with 4:08 remaining in the half. Redlands put together another spurt to end the half on a 6-3 run to head into the half down, 19-39.

The Bulldogs handled the first blow from the Regals out of halftime and were able to put a solid run together in the final three minutes of the third period. After a layup and a pair of free throws from Lee and Lacey, junior forward Kellis Dack (Vancouver, WA) corralled an offensive board that led to a layup from first-year guard Angelina Roque (San Diego, CA) to make it 36-53 with 1:16 on the clock. First-year guard Alexis Machain (San Diego, CA) ended the quarter strong with three points in the final minute to help slim the lead down to 39-55 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Machain remained in rhythm in the fourth by knocking down a trey after another offensive rebound from Dack, making it 42-58 with 8:19 left in the game. About a minute later, first-year guard Marisa Urbano-Sedlund (San Diego, CA) drained a three-pointer, followed by a mid-range jumper off an assist from Machain that made it 49-61 at the 6:51-mark. Machain earned a steal and knocked down the last free throw of the game, but it was not enough in a loss to the Regals.

Lacey led the Bulldogs with 13 points and three assists. Dack nearly registered a double-double with eight points and 12 rebounds, while Machain contributed eight points, two assists, and a steal off the bench.

Redlands (14-5, 9-1 SCIAC) remains on the road for a SCIAC tilt against Occidental College on Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m.