The University of Redlands Bulldog men's basketball team moved into sole possession of first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) with Saturday's exciting 86-80 victory over the Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.  In a battle of the unbeatens, Redlands broke a halftime tie with lights-out shooting and poised defense to prevail over the rival Stags in front of a noisy crowd during Family Fun Night at Currier Gym.

With a deliberate and patient style, the Maroon and Gray nabbed an 8-2 lead less than five minutes into the game after senior forward Josiah Brensdal(Kent, WA) nailed back-to-back jumpers.

However, CMS answered with a 15-6 run for its largest lead of the game at 17-14 at the midway point of the first half.  Sophomore guard Jack Grodahl and freshman forward Jason Harrington knocked down consecutive three-pointers for the Stags during this spurt.

Redlands created a 25-18 advantage with 7:36 remaining in the stanza when junior forward Eric Radford (Federal Way, WA) drained a basket from long range for the Maroon and Gray.  Senior guard Ricky Peetz (Redlands, CA) also knocked a shot from downtown, contributing to the Bulldogs' 53.6% overall shooting effort in the first half.

Through the final 10 minutes of the frame, the Bulldogs gained five four-point leads but CMS refused to go away and continually clawed its way back into the game.   The Stags answered the final four-point deficit of the half with a trey from senior guard Cody Mivshek and a free throw from Grodahl.

With the score tied at 36 apiece, the Bulldogs finished the period with three more baskets than the Stags, but CMS came up with three more three-pointers than Redlands.

The Maroon and Gray opened the second stanza with a 6-2 run to break the halftime tie, as senior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) provided four points during this early stretch.

The Bulldogs maintained their lead with the help of big shots from junior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO), who drained back-to-back three-pointers to make it 50-43 at the 14:40-mark.  Brensdal also nabbed key rebounds, leading to his eventual double-double effort with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Down by seven, the Stags responded with an offensive spurt of their own, earning their first lead of the second frame on a jump shot by Harrington with 12:58 remaining.

A three-pointer by Peetz brought the Redlands faithful to its feet and initiated a 13-3 run to pull ahead.  Rudd added a pair of treys for the Maroon and Gray, resulting in a perfect 4-for-4 showing from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs continued to pour on the offense, building a 10-point lead at 72-62 with 5:56 left in the game when Peetz capped off his 4-for-6 performance from downtown with another long ball.

However, CMS refused to go away and quickly cut the deficit to two with critical free throws, a Mivshek layup and another Grodahl three-pointer.

On the subsequent possession, Redlands' Kirk drove the lane and drew the foul for a pair of important free throws that he carefully knocked down.

Following a missed three-pointer by CMS, Radford pulled in the defensive rebound before Head Coach Jim Ducey called a timeout with 2:28 remaining.

Up by four, the Bulldogs looked to Kirk, their veteran standout, to drain a huge three-pointer and essentially secure the Maroon and Gray's sixth conference win of the season by making it 77-70 with 1:52 to go.  He finished with a team-high 19 points, which came off of 6-for-11 shooting.  He also pulled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

Forced to foul, CMS sent senior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) to the line, where he eventually converted six opportunities to keep the opponents at bay.

As a team, Redlands put together an impressive 52.2% shooting effort in the second stanza, which included an outstanding 7-for-10 showing from beyond the arc.  The Bulldogs bested the Stags with a 78.6% performance from the charity stripe, compared to CMS' 67.9%.

The Bulldogs also edged their opponents on the boards, earning a 33-28 margin.

Beyond Kirk and Brensdal, the Bulldogs gained double-digit scoring from Rudd with 14, Peetz with 14, and Kuklok with 11. 

Radford grabbed five rebounds and distributed four assists in addition to scoring five points.

Grodahl came off the bench to lead the Stags (10-5, 6-1 SCIAC) with 22 points, including four baskets from beyond the arc.  Mivshek added 15 points, while graduate student forward Kevin Sullivan chipped in 12 and junior guard Remy Pinson scored 11.

Redlands (11-4, 6-0 SCIAC) heads to Chapman University on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. showdown with the Panthers.