The top-seeded University of Redlands men's basketball team stretched an early two-point lead to as many as 22 points en route to a solid 68-58 victory over fourth-seeded Cal Lutheran University in tonight's semifinal of the 2011 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament.
With the win, the Bulldogs (15-11, 11-3 SCIAC) earn the privilege of hosting the tournament final against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CMS defeated the University of La Verne in tonight's other semifinal by a score of 68-62.
Against the Kingsmen, Redlands garnered a 5-3 lead after nearly five minutes of action in which both teams seemed somewhat out of sync.
However, the Bulldogs quickly found their stride, rallying for a 13-5 run to build a 10-point lead with 7:54 left in the opening frame. Senior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) capped off this stretch of offense with two of his 12 points on the night.
Cal Lutheran fought to close the gap to four points when sophomore guard Jayvaughn Nettles (Northridge, CA) and freshman guard Steven Davis (San Diego, CA) each knocked down three-pointers.
But Redlands quickly responded with a well-rounded offense and stifling defense to finish the half with an eight-point advantage at 30-22.
The Bulldogs remained in control through the second stanza, cruising to a double-digit lead with 16:45 left on the clock. Sophomore guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) nailed a bucket from long range to make it 37-26 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Down by 22 with 6:50 to go, the Kingsmen orchestrated a valiant comeback, cutting the lead to 10 by the final whistle.
In addition to Dietrich's 12 points, Redlands gained 16 points from senior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA), which came on 8-for-12 shooting. Sanvictores also pulled in a team-high eight rebounds, while senior guard Patrick Keating (Fountain Hills, AZ) dished out 10 assists for the Bulldogs.
Senior guard Greg Grimm (Vista, CA) led CLU with 18 points, while three other players scored in double figures. Nettles chipped in 12 points, while junior forward Aaron Van Klaveren (Madera, CA) and freshman forward Jeremy Sulker-Hall (Van Nuys, CA) each added 10. Van Klaveren also pulled in a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs recorded an impressive field-goal percentage of 52.9%, which includes a 46.2% display from beyond the arc. The Kingsmen came in at 41.7%, highlighted by a 42.1% performance from long range.
Redlands slightly won the rebounding battle with a 32-24 advantage.
Cal Lutheran completed the regular season with a 14-12 overall record and an 8-6 showing in SCIAC.