REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands women's basketball team (19-6, 11-5 SCIAC) took down Chapman University in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament First Round, 79-61, inside Currier Gym Tuesday evening as AJ Wick (Henderson, NV) became the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, while Head Coach Rich Murphy recorded his 300th career win.
Teagan McIlroy (Phoenix, AZ) and Wick opened the scoring with a pair of baskets, while the defense did not concede for the first two minutes.
Chapman, though, came back with a quick five points to take a 5-4 lead, which would be their lone advantage of the game as an 8-0 Redlands run pushed them back in front by seven, 12-5.
With the lead cut down to three, 12-9, with 2:59 on the clock, Wick scored in the paint and Aliyah Anderson (Oceanside, CA) and Carly Hicks (Portland, OR) would combine to make three free throws for their largest lead of eight, 17-9.
The Panthers, however, were the last to score in the first period and carried that over into the second cutting the advantage to four, 17-13.
That lead was cut all the way down to two, 21-19, with 5:51 on the clock before a 12-2 Bulldog run pushed it to 12, 33-12. During the run Hosn had five points, Andrea Perkins (Seal Beach, CA) three, Wick two, and Avery Shiring (Yorba Linda, CA) two.
Just like the end of the first quarter, though, it was the Panthers getting the final bucket as they made a three-pointer as time expired.
Redlands got two big stops to begin the third and McIlroy found Perkins for another three to help Redlands reclaim their 12-point lead. But much like the prior quarters, Chapman fought back, responding with eight straight to cut the lead to two possessions, 36-32.
Over the next six plus minutes under :30 seconds to play in the third, the Bulldogs outscored the Panthers by 12, 16-4, and held their largest lead of the game, 52-36.
That 16-point lead, though, lasted only eight seconds as the final basket of the quarter came from the Panthers who made another late triple, this time with :18 seconds remaining.
The late Chapman three connected to the first two points of the fourth as a 5-0 Panther run in :31 seconds reduced the lead to 11, 52-41.
Olivia McIntyre (Spokane, WA) would come right back down the floor and drive to the rim where she drew contact and the foul before knocking down both free-throws. Those were the first two points of an 8-2 run that gave Redlands a 17-point lead, 60-43, with 7:47 to go.
Across the final seven minutes Chapman never got closer than 13 and Redlands secured the game with a 7-of-7 mark at the line in the final :51 seconds.
Wick needed 13 points to reach 1,000 and it was not until the fourth quarter with 4:44 left in the game when she made a jumper in the paint that helped her reach the milestone. She finished the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Hosn, McIlroy, and Colbi Zorich (Woodinville, WA) were also in double figures with 15, 15, and 10, respectively. McIlroy added seven rebounds and six assists. Shiring off the bench made multiple key plays and finished with two points, three rebounds, an assist, and a block.
Redlands now heads to Thousand Oaks to play No. 1 seed California Lutheran University (CLU) on Thursday at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the SCIAC Final at the site of the highest remaining seed.
