On the opening night of the 65th Annual Lee Fulmer Memorial Classic, the University of Redlands men's basketball team defeated the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz, 62-51. Redlands' great defensive effort all night long proved to be crucial, as the Bulldogs outscored UCSC in the second half by 20 points.
In an early defensive battle, Redlands took the initiative offensively, and after seven-straight points from junior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO), the Bulldogs led 12-6 with 11:08 left in the first frame.
The Banana Slugs responded with an offensive spurt of their own, however, outscoring the Bulldogs by a 12-5 margin over the next three minutes to take an 18-17 lead. UCSC continued to ride the momentum through halftime, holding Redlands to just 12 more points before the break en route to a 38-29 advantage.
Knowing it would take a strong defensive performance and a much better offensive showing in the second half, the Maroon and Gray went on an 11-1 run to begin the second stanza. Senior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) led the charge, scoring the first five points of that offensive outburst.
After UCSC retook the lead at 44-40, Redlands answered by firing off six consecutive points. During this stretch, junior guard Matt Calhoun(Clackamas, OR) sank a free throw, Rudd converted a layup and Kuklok sank a three-pointer in less than one minute of game-time.
The Banana Slugs once again fought back to make it a 48-46 ball game with 8:53 remaining in regulation. But after a couple of made free throws for Redlands, junior guard Eric Radford (Federal Way, WA) drained a critical shot from downtown, giving the Bulldogs a lead that it would not relinquish.
Unselfish play down the stretch led to some easy buckets for Redlands as it pulled away for the 11-point victory.
Stifling Bulldog defense all over the court led to eight UCSC turnovers in the second half and 14 times during the game. More impressively, the Bulldogs held the Banana Slugs to a 4-for-26 effort from the field during the second half to go along with a mere 9.1% from three-point range.
Senior forward Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) was all over the court for the Maroon and Gray, racking up 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting while also grabbing seven boards, dishing out three assists, notching one steal and tallying two blocks. Kuklok was the only other starter to hit double digits as he finished with 16 points and six boards.
Additionally, Rudd tallied nine points and four boards, as Calhoun chipped in seven total points on the night.
Furthermore, Redlands shot well from the line, converting 11-of-14 shots from the charity stripe.
James Townsend led UCSC offensively, scoring 18 points in the contest.
Redlands (5-2) faces Pacifica University (0-9) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the conclusion of the 65th Annual Lee Fulmer Memorial Classic. That game will be preceded by UCSC taking on Arizona Christian University (3-1) at 5 p.m.in Currier Gym.