SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The University of Redlands men's basketball team (7-2) took down the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) 98-82 on the road Thursday evening as Cameron Brown scored a season-high 29 points to lead all scorers.
Jhace Boston and Brown each scored four points in the opening four minutes as the Bulldogs and the Banna Slugs were tied at eight.
UCSC took a 16-15 lead with 11:55 on the clock after they made a pair of free throws, but 30 seconds later the Redlands would reclaim the lead on a Cameron Joseph three as they would never trail again from that point forward.
Eight minutes after taking the lead Kendrick Currey was set up on a three by Robert Power as he gave the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead of the game, 46-36. The Bulldogs would hold their largest lead of the game at 12, 53-41, with 1:32 on the clock after Ivan Belkin made a three on a Sam Abere assist. At the half they led 53-44.
The Banana Slugs started the second half with eight of the first 11 points as they had chopped the Bulldogs' 12-point lead to five, 61-56, with 16:16 on the clock.
Still holding a five-point lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game, Malachi Miller made a pair of free throws and then Lucas Gordon made a three off a Joseph feed to put Redlands back up 10, 74-64.
The Banana Slugs would not go away though, they would answer the Bulldogs' run with a 19-5 stretch to get within four, 83-79, with 3:46 to play. Power helped the Bulldogs respond to the run with a pair of made free throws that started a 7-0 run that would put the game away as they ended the final 3:27 on a 15-3 run.
Brown's 29 points (7-12 FG, 15-17 FT) is the first 20-point game since scoring 24 in a win against East Texas Baptist. Currey (15), Khyree Armstead (13), and Abere (11) all scored in double figures as the Bulldogs played 13 players with 10 of them scoring.
Tomorrow, Friday, December 29, the Bulldogs will play their fifth ranked opponent of the season as they play No. 18 Williams College in a neutral site game at 7:00 p.m. at UCSC.