On the heels of five double-digit scorers, the University of
Redlands men’s basketball team halted its losing skid by
capturing a 94-80 victory over visiting La Sierra University in
non-conference action tonight in Currier Gym.
Despite trailing by as many as five in the opening period, the
Bulldogs rallied back to take a 27-26 lead when junior guard Justin
Sobczyk (Palm Desert, CA) drove the basket with just over four
minutes to go. A back-and-forth battle ensued, with Redlands
holding a 40-38 advantage at the break.
After the Golden Eagles pulled within one early in the second half,
the Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run to make it a 13-point game. During
this stretch, Redlands knocked down back-to-back three-pointers as
freshman guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) hit his shot from long
range and then junior guard Patrick Keating (Fountain Hills, AZ)
followed suit less than a minute later.
From here, the Maroon and Gray remained in control, taking care of
the ball and converting free-throws through the final whistle.
Junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) led all scorers with 20
points, going 8-for-13 from the field. Sobczyk added 14 points,
while junior center Andrew Mills (Newcastle, WA) came up with 12
points on 6-for-7 shooting. Kuklok and freshman guard Tristan Kirk
(Redlands, CA) rounded out Redlands’ double-digit scorers
with 10 points apiece. Junior guard Kent Ervin (Bend, OR) supplied
eight assists.
La Sierra gained a 19-point performance from Laviel Pickett, while
DePaul Williams and Justin Collins each chipped in 18 points.
The Bulldogs won the battle of rebounds with a 46 to 32 margin,
highlighted by eight more offensive boards than their
opponents.
Redlands (4-7) opens Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (SCIAC) competition on Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. game at
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.
