SCIAC Women's Basketball Tournament First Round Preview: (5) Redlands at (4) Pomona-Pitzer - D3hoops
The University of Redlands women's basketball program qualified for their 17th-straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament after upsetting SCIAC regular season champion, Whittier College, last Saturday. With the qualification, they earned the No. 5 seed which sets up a matchup with No. 4 Pomona-Pitzer on Tuesday, February 25 at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs finished 13-12 overall and 8-8 in SCIAC. They tied the Sagehens (13-12, 8-8) for fourth place in the regular season. Due to tiebreaker rules, the Sagehens received the fourth seed after going 2-0 in the head-to-head series this season.
As previously mentioned, this is the 17th consecutive season making the SCIAC Tournament. Those 17 years include every season the tournament has been held. Head coach Rich Murphy has won the tournament three times, including in 2023 and 2020.
Redlands finished second in SCIAC in scoring at 71.1 points per game (PPG). They allowed 68.2 PPG, the second most. Their scoring margin was 2.9, third highest. They made 5.7 three per game, the fifth highest rate. Defensively they conceded a 37.7 percent mark from three, the highest.
On the other side Pomona-Pitzer finished fifth in scoring at 65.8 PPG. The Sagehens allowed 65.1 PPG, the fourth lowest average. Their margin of 0.6 is fifth. They were the most efficient shooting team at 41.3 percent from the field. They held opponents to the second lowest shooting percentage at 37.7 percent. From behind the arc they made 6.7 threes, second highest. Opposing teams made 27.7 percent of their three point attempts, the third lowest percentage.
Individually AJ Wick was the conference's second-leading scorer in SCIAC play at 18 PPG. Leila Hosn ranked 11th at 13.9 PPG, Colbi Zorich ranks 18th at 12.3.
Wick finished second in rebounding at 12.3. She also shot 47.3 percent from the field, the second highest percentage. Zorich shot 81.7 percent from the free throw line, fourth highest.
Alex Facelo gave Redlands a sharpshooter who made 33.9 percent of her threes, third, and made 42 total threes, second. Hosn led SCAIC in assists per game at 5.8. Wick added 1.5 blocks per game (BPG), second most. Hosn and Zorich averaged 1.9 and 1.8 steals per game (SPG), the seventh and ninth highest rates.
The leaders for the Sagehens were Jadyn Lee who averages 16.4 PPG, fourth highest, and Abigail Homan as the second-leading scorer at 12.3 PPG, 17th in SCIAC.
Lee and Charlotte Patel were 10th and 16th in rebounding at 7.4 and 5.6 rebounds per game. Lee also led the conference in field goal percentage at 48.5 and Homan was third at 45 percent. Sara Chicco and Emily Lee each made two threes per game, sixth-highest rates. Lee also led the team in assists at 3.4, ninth in SCIAC. Patel and Lee averaged just under one BPG, sixth and eighth in conference. Lee was one of six players that averaged two or more SPG with 2.4, fourth most.
Wick has 402 points this season, ninth most in single-season history. She needs 23 to move into sixth place. She also ranks second in single-season offensive rebounds with 111, the record is 151 by Lisa Wewers in 1992-93. She has 215 defensive rebounds, third most, three away from passing Hanna Jerrier from 2022-23, and 67 behind record holder Leslie Ferguson from 1994-95. Her rebound total of 326 is the second most, 37 behind Ferguson from 1994-95. Her 37 blocks are tied for seventh, third place is eight blocks ahead. She needs 35 rebounds to reach 600 in her career. Her 565 are 10th most.
Hosn's hot finish to the season has her third in single-season assists with 135. She needs five to take second place and seven to tie the record held by Cindi Pila from 1993-94.
Facelo made 70 total threes, sixth most. She needs four to tie Ashley Sevilla for third most. Assistant coach Alyssa Downs holds the two highest total seasons with 82 and 81. The career top-10 list begins at 76 made threes.
Zorich is eighth in free throw percentage for a season at 84 percent (84-for-100).
This is the first season with a fifth team making the tournament. The winner of this first round game between No. 4 and No. 5 will travel to No. 1 Whittier for a semifinal game on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The winner between that semifinal and the other semifinal between No. 2 California Lutheran University and No. 3 Chapman University will play at the highest remaining seed in the tournament final. The winner of the tournament earns SCIAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.
