The University of Redlands men’s basketball team suffered a bitter defeat against the Poets of Whittier College during Senior Night in Currier Gym, faltering to the Poets by a score of 77-88 in an all-out dog fight between two Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) teams. Despite rallying back from 17 points down, the Bulldogs’ efforts came up short in the final minutes, which resulted in a tough loss in their final home regular-season game.

The Poets shot lights-out for the first 14 minutes of the game, going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and over 70% from the field to give them a quick 17–point advantage. However, the Maroon and Gray fought back to actually take a two-point lead at the half.

Nonetheless, Whittier remained steadfast to its fast-paced, long-range shooting, and took control midway through the second period at 66-59.

Redlands responded by eventually cutting the lead to two when junior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) hit a jumper with 4:17 to go.

But that was as close at the Bulldogs would get, as they struggled to make their shots during the final possessions.

Senior guard Andrew Maertens (Salt Lake City, UT) headlined the Redlands Class of 2010 with 11 points and three rebounds. Freshman guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) led the Maroon and Gray with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Junior guard Justin Sobczyk (Palm Desert, CA) added 12 points, while junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) chipped in six points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

Junior guard David Hayashi (Whittier, CA) paced the Poets (10-11, 4-7 SCIAC) with 27 points, including four baskets from long range. Junior forward Drew Menez (Clayton, CA) added 18 and junior forward DaMon Perry (Los Angeles, CA) contributed 12 points.

Despite the loss, Redlands (12-10, 8-3 SCIAC) sits alone in second place in the SCIAC standings. The Bulldogs look to rebound on the road this Wednesday with a conference showdown against Cal Lutheran University.