Regals Face Redlands in Saturday Night's SCIAC Tournament Final

CLU one win from NCAA tourney spot

Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 8:00 am

Release by Scott Chisholm (CLU Sports Information)

REDLANDS, Calif. - For the first time in program history the Cal Lutheran women's basketball team will play in the finals of the SCIAC Post-Season Tournament. The Regals will make the trek to Redlands on Saturday, Feb. 25, for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

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No. 4 seed Cal Lutheran earned its first trip to the conference tournament finals following a 51-49 road win over regular season conference champion Occidental. Not only were the Regals the only SCIAC team to defeat the Tigers this season, they did so once during the regular season and again in the tournament semifinals.

No. 2 seed Redlands cruised to a 70-53 victory on its home court over No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Bulldogs defeated the Athenas in each of their three meetings this season.

The winner of Saturday's contest will earn the designated automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament representing the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Redlands swept the season series earning a 67-54 win inside Currier Gym on Jan. 19. In the most recent meeting just one week ago the Bulldogs earned a 60-59 victory on a final-second basket.

If Cal Lutheran can avenge another sizeable regular season road loss as it did on Thursday, the Regals will be heading to March Madness for the first time since 2006. CLU avenged a 15-point loss to the Tigers inside Rush Gymnasium just seven days prior to its semifinal victory.