The University of Redlands men's basketball team eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time this season when it captured a 103-91 victory over the visiting Poets of Whittier College in Saturday's opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) contest.

While facing a team that had scored 100 or more points on four occasions so far this season, the Bulldogs erupted for 12 three-pointers and converted 29 free-throws en route to their sixth win of the season.

After trading baskets in the early portion of the game, Redlands shifted the momentum in its favor when junior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) and senior center Jack Colston (Dana Point, CA) knocked down consecutive three-pointers for the 24-17 lead. 

Senior guard Mychal Estrada (Redlands, CA) followed suit just moments later when he drained his first three attempts from beyond the arc, making it a 14-point game with 6:18 left in the first frame.  Estrada finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting.

Whittier fought back to cut it to nine at the one-minute mark, but a layup by Kirk with 25 seconds left in the half resulted in a double-digit lead that Redlands maintained through the final whistle. 

Final attempts to foul in the waning seconds produced a 21-for-26 showing at the charity stripe for the Bulldogs in the second half.

Kirk and Colston scored 21 points apiece for the Maroon and Gray, with Colston also supplying 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.  This duo also combined for 10 assists.

Junior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) added 19 points, while sophomore guard Matt Calhoun (Clackamas, OR) chipped in 12 points and supplied six assists.

Redlands shot 47.0% overall but scored 29 points off of the Poets' 20 turnovers.  The Bulldog bench accounted for 35 points, compared to Whittier's 19.

While shooting 52.5% from the floor, Whittier (8-4, 0-1 SCIAC) gained double figures from its entire starting five, with senior forward Drew Menez (Clayton, CA) scoring a team-high 21 points.  Senior guard Kelly Johnson (Pomona, CA) distributed five assists, while senior forward Nathan Easterman (Manhattan Beach, CA) pulled in six boards.

Redlands (6-6, 1-0 SCIAC) hosts Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in a SCIAC match on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym.