On Tuesday evening in Orange, CA, the University of Redlands men's basketball team defeated Willamette University (OR) in overtime by a score of 91-86. In what was the opening game of the Chapman University Tournament, the two teams played an exciting contest that saw the Bulldogs use some timely buckets and great free-throw shooting down the stretch to secure the non-conference triumph.
Junior guard Eric Radford (Federal Way, WA) was hot early for the Maroon and Gray, scoring five of the first 11 points, and after just 3:32 played in the first period, the U of R held an 11-3 lead.
The Bearcats made some headway into Redlands' lead, but not before senior forward Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) nailed a shot from downtown and then sank a jumper to push the advantage to 10 points midway through the first half.
By the 8:33-mark, Willamette had rallied to within two points, but Bulldog junior guards Matt Calhoun (Clackamas, OR) and Ricky Peetz (Redlands, CA) drilled back-to-back three-pointers to make it a 25-17 game in favor of Redlands.
A solid defensive effort throughout the first stanza kept Willamette to just 29.6% shooting, while the Maroon and Gray offense was clicking at 56.0% from the field and 4-for-8 from downtown. Additionally, a perfect 7-for-7 effort from the charity stripe gave the Bulldogs a 39-29 advantage at the halftime break.
The Bearcats started the second stanza on a 19-5 offensive spurt, taking a 48-44 lead at the 14:28-mark. The teams then traded buckets and senior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) nailed a couple of jumpers to help the Bulldogs regain the lead at 54-52.
Both teams made some timely shots down the stretch, and with just two minutes remaining in regulation, Redlands trailed by five points. After a Brensdal free throw, junior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO) hit a clutch shot from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to one point with just over one minute left on the clock.
A made free-throw for the Bearcats extended the lead back to two for Willamette, but senior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) came down the floor and sank the tying jumper with 26 ticks left in the second stanza. Tied a 78-all, Willamette had two opportunities to win it in regulation, but both shots missed, sending the contest to overtime.
In the extra period, the Bulldogs fell behind early, but took the decisive lead with just over one minute left when Kirk sank two free-throws. Radford then scored four straight points and Rudd sealed the game with two important free-throws with only nine seconds left, helping the Maroon and Gray to the important non-conference victory.
For the game, Redlands shot 45.6% from the field and an impressive 83.3% from the line. Four of the Bulldogs' starters finished in double figures, as Kuklok led all Bulldog scorers with 18 points. Kirk racked up 16 points, while Radford grabbed seven boards in addition to scoring 12 crucial points for Redlands. Rounding out the well-balanced starting lineup, Brensdal chipped in eight points, six rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Calhoun finished with 11 points and three assists.
Off the bench, Peetz enjoyed a solid shooting night, going 3-for-5 and notching 11 points, and Rudd finished with nine points and seven boards.
For the Bearcats, Elliot Babcock-Krenk tallied a game-high 24 points.
Redlands (7-2) returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it takes on Whitworth University (WA) in both teams' second game of the Chapman University Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Orange.