THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A basketball season that started shaky before taking an upward swing, which included a six game win-streak, will continue after the Cal Lutheran Regals got a little help from their league foes to clinch the fourth and final spot in the 2014 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season Tournament despite a 60-54 loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the regular season finale this evening inside of the Gilbert Arena.
A first half battle went the way of the Athenas who outshot CLU 40.9 percent to 26.1 percent from the floor to open a 29-22 advantage at the intermission. CMS used a 17-point half from the game's leading scorer Kimberly Scamman, who finished with 25. The Regals trailed by as many as 10 at the 13:26 mark, but chipped away and got the gap down to one at 21-20 on a Chelsea Jacoby free-throw with 3:53 remaining in the opening half.
Although Claremont-Mudd-Scripps never trailed, Cal Lutheran gave the visiting squad a run for their money, edging the Athenas 32-31 in the second half, making it a one possession game with 12 ticks to go. Unfortunately, it was just a little bit too late to complete a comeback.
The only CLU player to break into double figures was Jessica Salottolo who got there by going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line while also knocking down her only attempt from three-point range. Jacoby led the defensive unit with a team-high eight rebounds, one behind CMS' Mara Falahee who finished with nine.
Prior to the game, the lone CLU senior, Hayley Jensen, was honored and thanked for her contributions to the women's basketball program.
Though the Regals suffered a tough loss tonight, Chapman defeated La Verne, knocking the Leopards out of the race for a SCIAC Post Season Tournament berth, securing the fourth spot for Cal Lutheran.
"I am very proud of the progress that this group has made throughout the season," first year head coach Lindsay Goldblatt said after the game. "These girls work extremely hard and we are looking forward to the opportunity in front of us."
The chance to play for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament for the second consecutive year will begin on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (22-3, 14-2 SCIAC) and Chapman (20-5, 14-2) earned a share of the SCIAC title and will serve as the two host sites for the Semifinal games. CU won the tie-breaker for the top seed by sweeping CMS in the regular season and will host Cal Lutheran (13-12, 9-7 SCIAC) while Redlands (19-6, 12-4 SCIAC) will travel to CMS as the No. 3 seed.
Box Score: CMS 60, CLU 54
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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - A basketball season that started shaky before taking an upward swing, which included a six game win-streak, will continue after the Cal Lutheran Regals got a little help from their league foes to clinch the fourth and final spot in the 2014 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season Tournament despite a 60-54 loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the regular season finale this evening inside of the Gilbert Arena.
A first half battle went the way of the Athenas who outshot CLU 40.9 percent to 26.1 percent from the floor to open a 29-22 advantage at the intermission. CMS used a 17-point half from the game's leading scorer Kimberly Scamman, who finished with 25. The Regals trailed by as many as 10 at the 13:26 mark, but chipped away and got the gap down to one at 21-20 on a Chelsea Jacoby free-throw with 3:53 remaining in the opening half.
Although Claremont-Mudd-Scripps never trailed, Cal Lutheran gave the visiting squad a run for their money, edging the Athenas 32-31 in the second half, making it a one possession game with 12 ticks to go. Unfortunately, it was just a little bit too late to complete a comeback.
The only CLU player to break into double figures was Jessica Salottolo who got there by going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line while also knocking down her only attempt from three-point range. Jacoby led the defensive unit with a team-high eight rebounds, one behind CMS' Mara Falahee who finished with nine.
Though the Regals suffered a tough loss tonight, Chapman defeated La Verne, knocking the Leopards out of the race for a SCIAC Post Season Tournament berth, securing the fourth spot for Cal Lutheran.
"I am very proud of the progress that this group has made throughout the season," first year head coach Lindsay Goldblatt said after the game. "These girls work extremely hard and we are looking forward to the opportunity in front of us."
The chance to play for an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament for the second consecutive year will begin on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (22-3, 14-2 SCIAC) and Chapman (20-5, 14-2) earned a share of the SCIAC title and will serve as the two host sites for the Semifinal games. CU won the tie-breaker for the top seed by sweeping CMS in the regular season and will host Cal Lutheran (13-12, 9-7 SCIAC) while Redlands (19-6, 12-4 SCIAC) will travel to CMS as the No. 3 seed.
Box Score: CMS 60, CLU 54
CLU Twitter: https://twitter.com/clusports
Follow Natalie: @RegalsHoops
CLU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports
CLU Instagram: http://instagram.com/clusports#
