In the first Saturday conference doubleheader of the season, the University of Redlands basketball teams earned decisive victories over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent Caltech. After opening their SCIAC season with a win earlier in the week, the Bulldog women remained undefeated in conference with a 73-41 victory over the Beavers. Following a big win over Grinnell College (IA) on January 6, the men continued their recent upswing with an overwhelming 97-36 victory against Caltech.

With their second decisive victory in a row, the women’s basketball team currently is outscoring conference opponents, 151-90. Thanks to another solid effort, the team remains on a hot streak that now stands at five wins in a row. While playing its entire roster, Redlands gained exceptional play from the bench, which translates into valuable experience for the new faces. Leading the Bulldogs, sophomore forward Meghan Yetman (Danville, CA) quietly tallied 11 points while freshman guard Lara Hughes-Stinson (Dana Point, CA) gained 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Defensively, graduate student guard Rachaé Bell (Davenport, WA) provided three steals, giving her a total of 19 during the last five games. The Redlands bench accounted for 45 of the team’s 73 points and helped cause 18 Beaver turnovers.

For the men, the Bulldogs built upon their recent surge in team cohesiveness, resulting in confidence and momentum during Saturday’s game. After the Redlands starters gained a formidable lead, the bench took over and finished in fine fashion with every player on the roster seeing time on the floor. A stellar 55 points from the non-starters helped the team shoot an impressive 51.7% from the field, which included a season-high 11 three-pointers. Senior guard Dave Thomas (Santa Cruz, CA) provided a game-high 22 points, going 6-for-10 from the field. Sophomore guard Patrick Coffey (San Carlos, CA) followed with 13 points, highlighted by three baskets from beyond the arc. Fellow sophomore guard Andrew Maertens (Salt Lake City, UT) added 10 points off the bench in only eight minutes of action.

The Redlands basketball teams take to the road this week with match-ups at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Occidental College. The men (6-6, 1-0 SCIAC) return home to Currier Gym on Wednesday, January 23, for a 7:30 p.m. game against Whittier College while the women (9-3, 2-0 SCIAC) host the Poets on Thursday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m.