The University of Redlands men's basketball team faced off against the Beavers of Buena Vista University (IA) in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon but struggled to contain the opponents' hot-shooting offense during the second half.  The Maroon and Gray watched its early 14-point lead slip away and turn into a 79-86 loss, as the Beavers knocked down 65.2% of their shots in the final 20 minutes.

The Bulldogs broke an early two-all tie to surge out to a 28-14 lead with 8:49 remaining in the first stanza.  Senior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) led the charge with eight points in this spurt, including three consecutive baskets in a 75-second span.  In addition, junior guard Alex Rudd drained a pair of three-pointers for the Maroon and Gray.

However, Buena Vista responded with an offensive explosion of its own, finishing out the half with a 16-8 run to cut the deficit to only five points.  During this rally, the Beavers found their rhythm from downtown as junior guard Michael Kaufmann (Harlan, IA), senior guard Troy Ticknor (Adel, IA), and freshman guard Nick Clark (Fort Dodge, IA) knocked down timely three-pointers in the final 5:30 of the frame.

At the start of the second half, Buena Vista maintained the momentum, nailing its first five shots plus a pair of free throws to hold a 44-38 advantage less than three minutes into the action.

Throughout the frame, Ticknor remained hot for the Beavers, as he nailed three long balls to help propel his team to its largest lead of the game at 73-58 with 4:12 to go.

However, Redlands refused to go away, and fought back to cut the deficit to four points in just three minutes.  Junior guard Ricky Peetz (Redlands, CA) hit a jumper and a three-pointer before junior forward Brandon Hrboka(San Pedro, CA) came into the game to make a huge defensive play and a quick jumper.

However, the Beavers' Clark answered at the 45-second mark with his second three-pointer of the game, essentially sealing the win for Buena Vista.

The Beavers went to the charity stripe 43 times but converted only 26 opportunities.  Redlands was 13-for-22 from the free-throw line.

Ticknor led all scorers with 20 points, which came off of 5-for-9 shooting and a 4-for-8 performance from long range.  He also added eight rebounds for the Beavers (7-3), who face Pomona-Pitzer Colleges tomorrow afternoon.

Sophomore guard Cole Darrow (Glenwood, IA) backed Ticknor with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Clark came off the bench for 13 points and six boards.

For Redlands, the team put together a well-balanced attack, with Rudd leading the offense with 13 points.  Junior guard Matt Calhoun (Clackamas, OR) and senior forward Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) finished with 12 apiece, and Peetz and Kirk chipped in 11 each.

Brensdal led the Maroon and Gray with eight rebounds, while senior forwardSteven Williams (Ventura, CA) came off the bench for six.

Redlands (7-4) strives to bounce back on Sunday when it hosts Emerson College (MA) in a 2 p.m. tilt in Currier Gym.