In a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) thriller on Saturday afternoon, the University of Redlands men's basketball team fell victim to a late surge in a 65-68 loss to Cal Lutheran University.
To start the game, first-year forward Griffin Barker (Kirkland, WA) sparked the Bulldogs with an assist for the first bucket of the game, a converted and-one, and a steal to help Redlands to a 6-3 lead in the first two minutes of the contest.
Despite the Kingsmen gaining momentum with a 13-9 lead at the 12:16-mark, junior guard Jack Roggin (Toluca Lake, CA) knocked down a triple off of sophomore forward Kameron Wright's (Fontana, CA) steal, which was then followed by a layup from junior guard Vincenzo Ferrari (Burlingame, CA) to help the Maroon and Gray gain a 14-13 advantage midway through the first half.
In less than a two-minute span, the Bulldogs went on a 9-2 run, culminated by a trey from senior guard Thomas Scriven (Anaheim, CA) to take a 23-17 lead with 7:38 left in the half.
However, Cal Lutheran chipped away at their deficit, gaining a slight 30-28 advantage at the break.
The Bulldogs came out the half re-energized with a pair of three-pointers from Roggin and senior forward David Menary (Grass Valley, CA) to help take control of a 34-30 lead one minute in.
As the game went on, the teams traded blows with the lead changing hands 14 times up until 2:47 left to go in the game when Menary knocked down a pair of free throws to help the Bulldogs take back a 58-57 lead. Defense led to offense on the next possession, as senior guard Hass Berry (Riverside, CA) stole the ball and dished it to Menary for the transition trey to match the largest lead of the half at 61-57 with 2:39 on the clock.
Although Cal Lutheran knotted the game at 61-all, Menary remained composed and sank another pair of free throws for a 63-61 advantage with just over a minute of action left to play.
Out of a timeout, the Kingsmen executed and converted a tough three-pointer that put them up 64-63 with 41 seconds left.
Nonetheless, Berry came off of a screen and drained a mid-range jumper from the baseline to help the Bulldogs pull ahead, 65-64 with just over half a minute remaining.
Unfortunately, Cal Lutheran earned a trip to the free-throw line, where they took the lead back at 66-65 with 26 seconds left. The Kingsmen iced the game with another pair of free throws in the final seconds to escape with a 68-65 win.
For the game, Roggin led the Bulldogs with 16 points to go along with three rebounds and an assist. Menary also performed well with 15 points, five boards, two assists, and a block, while Barker added five points and led the game with 10 rebounds and two steals.
Next up, Redlands (8-3, 1-1 SCIAC) hits the road next week for a pair of SCIAC matchups, beginning with the University of La Verne on Monday, January 6, at 7 p.m.
