The University of Redlands men's basketball team fell behind early in the first half on Saturday evening and never took a lead against Lewis & Clark College (OR), falling to the Pioneers in Currier Gym, 70-101. 

The Pioneers jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead after just two minutes, but after five-straight points from Bulldog senior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO), Redlands was within two.  Lewis & Clark went on a 13-1 run over the next several minutes, however, to take a 20-6 advantage.

Redlands' offense could not get things going for the remainder of the first stanza, while Lewis & Clark continued to make its shots, and at the break the score was 54-28 in favor of the road squad.  During the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs shot 22.6% from the field, while the Pioneers hit 47.1% of their shots, including five from long range.

In the second half, senior forward Ian Gordon (Bellevue, WA) got things rolling for the Bulldogs, scoring a couple of buckets in a row to cut into the deficit.  After a layup from sophomore forward Kyle Milligan (Portland, OR) and a three-pointer from Rudd, the lead was down to just 22 points for the Pioneers.

Over the next few minutes, the U of R sank a number of shots from all over the court, but for every bucket Redlands scored, Lewis & Clark had the immediate answer.  Ultimately, the Maroon and Gray cut the deficit to 20 points with just over 13 minutes remaining in regulation, but that would be as close as Redlands would get, resulting in the tough loss.

For the Bulldogs, Rudd provided the squad with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, while senior guard Ricky Peetz (Redlands, CA) scored 11 on the night, including two shots from downtown.  In addition, senior guard Eric Radford (Federal Way, WA) racked up 10 points and seven rebounds, while Gordon came off the bench to score 13 points on a 4-for-7 effort from the field.

On the game, the U of R shot 34.8% from the field, while Lewis & Clark made 42.6% of its shots.  The Pioneers also edged the Bulldogs in the rebounding category, 58-32.

For Lewis & Clark (4-0), Serg Ovchinnikov went 7-for-12 from the field, nailing six three-pointers en route to his 20-point night, while five other players scored in double figures.

Redlands (1-3) returns to action on Friday, November 29, when it takes on Whitman College (WA) in Currier Gym.  Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.