Despite winning the second half, the University of Redlands men's basketball team fell, 78-82, to Chapman University in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Wednesday night.
Senior guard Hass Berry (Riverside, CA) provided an early spark for the Bulldogs with a steal and seven points in the first four minutes of the game to help the Bulldogs build an 11-6 advantage. Despite the Panthers coming back to take the lead, Berry drove to the hoop for a layup to put the Maroon and Gray back in front, 15-14, with 13:53 left to play.
However, Chapman went on a 13-4 run that put them up 29-19, before senior forward David Menary (Grass Valley, CA) stopped the run with a bucket and a free throw to cut the lead down to 22-29 with 7:32 left in the half.
On the next possession, a layup from first-year forward Griffin Barker (Kirkland, WA) sparked an 8-2 surge to make it 30-35 with just over three minutes to go.
Nonetheless, the Panthers extended their lead to 41-30 as the teams went into the break.
Chapman controlled momentum for much of the second half until Barker stole the ball and dished it to Berry for a transition triple that cut the lead to single-figures to make it 58-66 with 6:18 left on the clock.
The Panthers went back up by 13, but junior guard Jack Roggin (Toluca Lake, CA) converted all three free throws after being fouled on the perimeter to slim the deficit back down to 74-63 with less than three minutes remaining.
In the final minute of the game, Barker kick-started the Bulldogs' final run of the game by snagging an offensive rebound and putting it back up to make it 70-80 with 52 seconds left. On Redlands' next possession, Hass knocked down another trey, followed by a steal and a layup from Menary, to make it 75-81 with 34 seconds on the clock. The Maroon and Gray forced a quick turnover, which led to a three-pointer from Barker that cut the margin to 78-81 two seconds later.
Unfortunately, the Panthers knocked down another free throw to escape with an 82-78 win.
For the game, Berry led with 19 points and a 3-for-6 clip from the perimeter. Menary registered 15 points, four assists, and two steals, while Barker nearly notched a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
Redlands (10-6, 3-4 SCIAC) returns home to face Whittier College on Saturday, January 25, at 5 p.m.