The University of Redlands men's basketball team tipped off the 2011-12 season with its first official competition on Tuesday, taking on the Lancers of Cal Baptist University in non-conference action. The Bulldogs made the most of their opportunities at the free-throw line while capitalizing off of CBU's 22 turnovers but fell short in a 67-71 decision.

Redlands trailed by just one point at the half and rallied to keep it close through the final whistle. The Lancers gained an 11-point advantage with less than six minutes left in the game, but the Bulldogs gave up only nine points in the final minutes while scoring 16 to slightly close the gap.

Overall, the Bulldogs struggled from floor, knocking down just 33.9% of their shots, compared to the Lancers' impressive 50% shooting.

The Maroon and Gray's 76.9% performance from the line, which came off of a 20-for-26 showing, kept the game tight.

Junior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) led the Bulldogs with 19 points, which came off of 7-for-13 shooting. Junior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) chipped in 12 points, including three buckets from beyond the arc, while newcomer junior Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) contributed 10 points off the bench.

Senior center Jack Colston (Dana Point, CA) pulled in a team-high seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.

CBU boasted four players in double-digit scoring, with Jalen Jury leading the Lancers with 13 points.

Redlands (0-1) welcomes Chapman University to Currier Gym on Saturday for a 2 p.m. non-conference showdown.