Bulldog Men’s Basketball Falls in Season Finale at Oxy

Brittian Foster goes up against Oxy earlier this season.
Photo credit: Mollie Craighead

The University of Redlands men's basketball team took to the road for its final game of the 2017-18 season on Tuesday evening by squaring off against the Occidental College Tigers in Eagle Rock.  Despite a 22-point effort from sophomore forward David Menary (Grass Valley, CA), the Bulldogs trailed early and never recovered en route to the 69-89 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) loss.

The Tigers charged out to an 8-0 lead early in the game before junior guard Joey Sponheim (Redlands, CA) turned a defensive rebound into a lay-up for the Bulldogs at the 18:05-mark.  On Redlands' next possession, senior forward Blake O'Brien (Sammamish, WA) added a jumper to make it 4-10.

However, Occidental quickly stretched its advantage to double digits off an efficient offense.

A Menary lay-up and three-pointer breathed new life into the Maroon and Gray with 8:20 to play in the first half but the Bulldogs still trailed 24-35.

However, the Tigers pulled away with an 18-10 run to close out the stanza, as Redlands struggled to counter the home team's 61.8% shooting spree.

During the second half, the Maroon and Gray slowed down Occidental's attack and stayed neck-and-neck in nearly every offensive category.  Menary did his part with solid buckets, including another one from beyond the arc to make it 41-57 with 16:59 remaining.

Following another Menary jumper, sophomore guard Brittian Foster (Long Beach, CA) entered the game and made his presence known by pickpocketing the Tigers for a steal, which he took right to the hoop for two points.  On the next Bulldog possession, he hauled in his own offensive rebound and drew the foul for a trip to the charity stripe, which he converted. 

While utilizing much of the roster, Redlands stayed competitive late in the game, with first-year guard Jacob Russell (Boise, ID) chipping in a jumper, a lay-up, and two free throws.    

Unfortunately for Redlands, the deficit remained by the final whistle and the Bulldogs headed home with a season-finale loss.

In addition to 22 points, Menary pulled in seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and tallied one steal and one block.  He finished his second season as a Bulldog with 395 points for an impressive 16.5 scoring average. 

Sponheim chipped in 10 points, while O'Brien added nine against Oxy.

The bench accounted for 26 points, with Foster scoring eight of them.

Redlands finishes the campaign in seventh place in the SCIAC with a 5-11 mark to go along with a 7-18 overall record.   Nonetheless, the Bulldogs own the only conference victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges this season, which came on December 6 by a score of 72-67 in Currier Gym.