LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Basketball team (13-11, 9-7 SCIAC) were plus nine points in the fourth quarter at Occidental College Saturday night in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action as they kept their SCIAC Tournament hopes alive in the regular season finale.
Leaya Mckinney (Sedalia, CO) and AJ Wick (Henderson, NV) put the Bulldogs up 7-2 early on in the first quarter. After the great start, however, the offense would muster only four points over the final 7:17 as they trailed 15-11.
Down two with three minutes gone by at the start of the second Colbi Zorich (Kenmore, WA) went on a personal 5-0 run as she got the lead back for the Maroon and Grey, 20-17.
Aliyah Anderson (Oceanside, CA) and Mckinney combined for five points late in the half as UR was ahead by two, 27-25, but they would settle for a tie at the break as the Tigers would convert a late layup.
It was a hit or miss third as the Bulldogs were down as many as seven with 4:42 on the clock and within one with 2:16 to play as they were only trailing by two possessions, 45-41, heading into the fourth.
Then in the final period Redlands finally started to get their footing with the combination of Krista Karban (Murrieta, CA), Mckinney, and Zorich all helping the Bulldogs tie the game at 47-47 with 7:19 still to play.
Following that run the Tigers responded with the next four points and held the Bulldogs scoreless for almost four and a half minutes as it was a four-point deficit, 52-48, with less than three to go.
Over the last 2:51 it was all Bulldogs who would end the game on an 11-2 run as Wick and Kayden Sanders (Nipomo, CA) would tie the game with a pair of layups before Sanders, Anderson, Zorich, and Mckinney went 7-for-7 at the line over the final 2:11.
Mckinney continued her spectacular run over the last three games combining for 45 points and 31 rebounds. Zorich missed another double-double by one rebound with 14 points and nine boards.
With the Bulldog win and the Whittier College loss to Caltech, Redlands secures a spot in the upcoming SCIAC Tournament as the fourth seed, which kicks off on Thursday, February 22. Their opponent will be California Lutheran University who won on a coin-flip over the University of La Verne. Both the Regals and Leopards are co-regular season champions at 13-3. Further information will be made available on the website once announced.
