THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Sara Mills scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half, Alline Ballard and Janna Holley both posted a double-double, and Cal Lutheran women's basketball defeated Redlands 71-59 in the SCIAC Tournament semifinals on Thursday evening.

After sweeping the two-game series against Redlands during the regular season, The Regals (19-6) advanced past the Bulldogs (13-12) to get to their first SCIAC Tournament Championship game since the 2015-16 season. 

Mills scored a game-high 18 points all from beyond the arc. After starting the night 1-8 from the field in the first half, she bounced back, going 5-9 from three in the second half. Kaiya Mack provided a spark on both ends off the bench, scoring 15 points and getting five steals. Ballad had 13 points and 13 rebounds while Holley added 12 points and 10 assists. 

The Bulldogs led by as many as six points in the contest. The score was 38-32 in favor of the Bulldogs at the 5:39 mark of the third quarter, but the Regals turned the tide with a 17-4 run. They shot 9-11 from the field during that stretch and forced five Bulldog turnovers. 

Riding new momentum, Mills electrified the crowd and took over the game in the fourth quarter. She hit back-to-back threes to open the quarter to put the Regals up 55-44 in the blink of an eye and knocked down another just two possessions later to force a Bulldogs timeout and send Gilbert Arena into a frenzy. She knocked her fourth three of the quarter to make it a 15-point game with 3:49 remaining and the Regals cruised to the championship game. 

The Regals will face Occidental (18-5, 11-5 SCIAC) for the SCIAC Tournament Championship and automatic bid in the big dance, the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The Regals split the regular season series with the Tigers, losing 81-85 on the road and winning 102-84 at home. The championship game will be at Gilbert Arena on Saturday, Feb. 24 (time TBD).