The University of Redlands men's basketball team squared off against No. 22 North Central College (IL) on Saturday night in Currier Gym. While struggling to find their offensive rhythm, the Bulldogs suffered a 47-64 loss in the non-conference showdown.
During the opening six-and-a-half-minutes, the Bulldog faithful remained quiet in honor of Redlands' first-ever "Silent Night" game. The home crowd erupted as sophomore forward Zack Whittet (Palm Desert, CA) pushed Redlands past the 10-point silent barrier when he drained a three-pointer from the baseline in front of the student section.
Redlands worked to create a momentum shift with the boisterous crowd on its side, but the Cardinals answered the "Silent Night" enthusiasm with a 5-0 run.
Although senior guard Connor Griffin (San Ramon, CA) and freshman forward Will Tender (Spokane, WA) combined for three consecutive points to cut the deficit to four at 15-19, North Central kept inching away with Jayme Moten at the helm of the visitors' offense. He finished the night with a game-high 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
Redlands continued to fight but never recovered from its shooting woes that led to a 29.8% performance on the night.
In addition Moten's big effort, the Cardinals gained double-digit scoring from Charles Rosenberg, who chipped in 13 points. Jack Burchett pulled in 11 rebounds for North Central, which remains undefeated at 5-0 during the 2014-15 season.
Junior forward Aljosa Bjekovic (Maribor, Slovenia) served as the Bulldogs top scorer with eight points. He also pulled in four boards and snagged three steals. Whittet came off the bench for seven points.
Redlands (2-4) looks to rebound when it hosts Bristol University on Tuesday, December 16, at 7 p.m. in a non-conference bout in Currier Gym.