The University of Redlands men's basketball team fell behind midway through the first half against SUNY New Paltz on Saturday night and could not recover, falling to the Hawks, 60-82. Despite forcing New Paltz into 21 turnovers on the second day of the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic, the Bulldogs could not take advantage, resulting in the defeat.
U of R senior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO) opened the game on fire, draining two shots from beyond the arc to give the Bulldogs an 8-5 lead after just two minutes. The Bulldogs went cold from the field after that early offensive spurt, however, and were outscored 44-18 for the remainder of the first stanza, resulting in a 23-point deficit at the break.
Rudd and senior forward Eric Radford (Federal Way, WA) tried to push the tempo during the second stanza for the U of R, each making a shot right away. Radford added a couple of free throws, and Redlands continued to try and mount the comeback.
Maroon and Gray senior guard Kendel Glapion (San Francisco, CA) converted a three-point play the hard way with 15:26 remaining in regulation, cutting the Hawk advantage to just 16 points. After the two teams traded a couple of buckets with junior guard Connor Griffin (San Ramon, CA) and senior forward Ian Gordon (Bellevue, WA) each chipping in for Redlands, the lead was down to just 15.
New Paltz had an answer for every Bulldog bucket, however, and closed the game out with solid defense en route to the 22-point win.
Radford led the way for the Bulldogs with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist, while Rudd chipped in with 11 points on the night, nailing three shots from downtown.
For the Hawks (2-0), Taylor Sowah notched 16 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while Andrew Seniuk went 7-for-7 from the field for 17 total points. In addition, Andrew Joseph provided 14 points and six rebounds.
For their efforts over the course of the two-day tournament, Sowah and Joseph landed on the All-Tournament Team.
On the night, the Bulldogs shot just 33.9% from the field, while New Paltz registered a 52.7% shooting clip on the evening.
Redlands (0-2) returns to the court on Tuesday when its takes on San Diego Christian College in Currier Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
In Saturday's first men's game, the Bruins of George Fox University (OR) continued to shine in their Southern California appearance by knocking down 10 three-pointers in the first half to take a 60-35 lead over Whittier College. Despite the Poets' 61.1% shooting performance in the second frame, the Bruins stayed out in front en route to a 112-96 victory to close out a solid effort at the 2013 Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic.
George Fox finished the game with 14 baskets from beyond the arc to go along with an overall shooting clip of 52.7%. In addition, the Bruins converted 20 of their 26 free-throw opportunities. These factors, along with their stifling defense that forced 23 Whittier turnovers, provided the edge in the triumph.
George Fox's AJ Grant and Sean Atkins led the high-scoring offense with 21 and 20 points, respectively. The dynamic duo also combined for 12 assists, nine rebounds, and two steals. They both received All-Tournament recognition for their contributions.
In addition, Spencer Bolte, Jonny Howard, and Eli Graham chipped in double-digit scoring for the Bruins (2-0). Bolte also dished out seven assists and recorded three steals.
Whittier's Nick Demusis led all players with his 25-point performance, which came off of 8-for-15 shooting from the field. He also added four rebounds, two steals and one assists in a solid night, which landed him on the All-Tournament Team. Finally, Eric Jennings registered 21 points, while David Richardson, Jacob Porter, and Ben Maynard each scored 10 or more points for the Poets (0-2).
For a complete list of all of the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic box scores, details, and All-Tournament teams, please visit the Tournament page.