LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Cal Lutheran women's basketball led for 36 minutes, but Occidental rallied off 12 straight points from 5:46-1:29 of the fourth quarter to storm back and stun the Regals 68-63.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Regals jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter, shooting 11-17 (64.7%) from the field and outrebounding the Tigers 11-3. Janna Holley racked up eight points in the opening frame, aggressively attacking the rim and creating opening shots.
The second was a back-and-forth affair with the Tigers finding more success. Going into halftime, the Regals led 37-31.
Two buckets from Alline Ballard and a low-block hook shot from Aliya DiMuro stretched the Regals' lead back to double-digits early in the third quarter. The Tigers responded with a 7-0 run, to cut the lead to 43-39 and maintained that margin until the end of the quarter, where the Regals led 52-49.
The Regals held the Tigers off for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, with Sara Mills scoring her 11th point of the game to make it 60-53 Regals with six minutes left to play.
Over the next four-and-a-half minutes, the Tigers unleashed a 12-0 run to claim their first lead of the contest and go up 65-60.
With 30 seconds left and the Tigers having possession, Kaiya Mack forced a steal and Holley knocked down a three-pointer to make it one possession game. Needing two free throws to seal the game, the Tigers went 1/2 from the line, giving the Regals an opportunity to force overtime. Mills heaved it up from the wing with seven seconds to go, but couldn't get it to fall as the Tigers came out victorious.
THE NUMBERS
- Alline Ballard: 18 PTS, 8 REB
- Janna Holley: 15 PTS, 8 REB
- Sara Mills: 11 PTS, 4 REB
- Aliya DiMuro: 10 PTS, 7 REB, 5-8 FG
FROM HEAD COACH KELLI DIMURO
"We played our worst defensive game of the season tonight. We lacked intensity and desire. Heading into the final three games, especially against Whitter on Saturday, we have to turn things around, we have to respond with our best defensive performance of the season… It's a must-win game."
UP NEXT
The Regals take on first-place Whittier, who are undefeated in conference play with a record of 12-0. With one game separating the second-, third-, and fourth-place SCIAC teams, the Regals host the Poets in a contest with huge playoff implications. Catch the marquee matchup at Gilbert Arena on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m.
