After facing an early deficit, the University of Redlands men's basketball team used a 25-point swing to rally for an important 67-55 victory over the visiting Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran University in Wednesday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown. With senior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) leading the offensive charge with 19 points, the Bulldogs surged past the Kingsmen late in the first half and never looked back.
Cal Lutheran came out firing and quickly built an 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the action. The Kingsmen's hot shooting continued as they knocked down their first five shots from long range to earn their largest lead of the game at 26-13 with 8:10 remaining in the opening the period. During this outburst, Cal Lutheran benefitted from the impressive long-range shooting of four different players, with Dan Wade converting two of the long balls.
However, the Maroon and Gray kept its composure while making key defensive adjustments and creating better offensive opportunities. The Bulldogs unleashed a 21-5 run to close out the first half en route to nabbing their first lead of the game at 32-30 when senior guard Ricky Peetz (Redlands, CA) and junior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO) converted back-to-back three-pointers. During the final eight minutes of the frame, Redlands fired off five buckets from downtown, with Rudd knocking down two of them.
Leading 34-31 at the end of the first stanza, Redlands owned a 41.9% shooting effort, compared to Cal Lutheran's 46.2% display. The biggest difference came in the form of one more three-pointer for the Maroon and Gray, which shot an incredible 66.7% from long range.
The Bulldogs maintained their momentum during the second half, kicking off the period with a 14-7 run for a 48-38 lead. During this stint, senior guardBrian Kuklok (Poway, CA) sank a pair of jumpers to lead the rally, which was finished off by Rudd's important and-one play at the 11:26-mark.
As Cal Lutheran suffered through a cold streak, the Maroon and Gray stayed comfortably ahead through the final whistle, as senior forward Josiah Brensdal came up with timely shots and important rebounds down the stretch. He finished the night with 13 points, six boards, three assists, and three steals.
The Kingsmen posted a second-half field-goal percentage of 34.5, while Redlands stayed slightly ahead at 38.9%. Cal Lutheran's hot performance from beyond the arc was also limited to the first half, as it went 2-for-10 in the second frame.
The Bulldogs also won the rebounding battle with a 44-33 margin, including eight more on the offensive end. Junior forward Ian Gordon (Bellevue, WA) made the most of his nine minutes by grabbing three offensive boards and two defensive rebounds for the Maroon and Gray.
In addition to Kirk and Brensdal, Rudd added nine points and Peetz chipped in eight. Junior forward Eric Radford (Federal Way, CA) supplied five points and four assists to go along with two blocks.
Cal Lutheran's Corey Quintana led his team with 15 points and six rebounds. Michael Palmer came off the bench for 12 points and six boards.
Redlands (12-5, 7-1 SCIAC) heads to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip-off against the Sagehens, who sit one-and-a-half games behind the Bulldogs in the current SCIAC standings.