REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands men's basketball team (11-2, 3-1) returned to Currier Gym where they overcame a double-digit deficit to defeat the University of La Verne 88-84 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition Wednesday evening.
At the 9:37 mark of the first half the Bulldogs found themselves down 18, 31-13, after the Leopards made their sixth three pointer of the half.
Stil trailing by 15, 33-18, with 8:11 on the clock, the Bulldogs were able to close to within eight, 35-27, with 5:08 to play after Kendrick Currey scored four points, Dayvon Gates and Nathan Mattera had two, and Lucas Gordon made a free throw.
Despite the strong run, La Verne scored seven of the final nine points to go into the half up 13, 46-33.
In the first seven minutes of the second half Redlands allowed only eight points and went on a 15-8 run that got them within two possessions, 54-48. Chozen Amadi had five points while Currey and Gates each had four.
After the Leopards reestablished their double-digit lead Currey found Gordon for a layup to cap a run that brought them within two, 61-59, with 9:17 still to play.
The first lead of the game since it was 1-0 came after Amadi scored five-straight points following a Gordon block and a Currey steal.
La Verne tied the game for the final time at 71 with 4:44 remaining as Redlands would regain the lead 12 seconds later and maintained it for the final 4:32 thanks to eight made free throws.
The Bulldogs overcame a night where the Leopards two best players combined for 68 points on 15-of-39 shooting from the floor, 10-of-16 from three, and 8-of-10 from the line with a balanced attack that included five player in double figures.
Gordon and Omari Ferguson each had 19 points while Gates added 18, Amadi 13, and Currey 10. Gordon added a career-high 15 rebounds, tied a career-high with four steals, and added two blocks.
After an off weekend Redlands will travel to Claremont to faceoff with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:00 p.m.