The University of Redlands men's basketball team nabbed its first win of the 2010-11 season with a solid 95-75 victory over the visiting Eagles of Southwestern College (AZ) during the 63rd Annual Lee Fulmer Memorial Tournament on Thursday night. The Bulldogs broke an early tie at 15 all in the first half and never looked back while relying on a well-balanced attack that saw six players score in double figures.

As a team, Redlands shot 47.9% overall and 40% from beyond the arc but also held 12-3 advantage on offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs capitalized on the Eagles' 22 turnovers, converting 21 points by finishing the opportunity on the other end.

Sophomore guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) led the team with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while also grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out six assists, and making four steals. Coming off the bench for the Bulldogs, senior forward/guard Stephen Call (Portola Valley, CA) contributed 13 points, including three from long range, and sophomore guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) chipped in 12 to go along with five rebounds. Senior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) went 5-for-8 for 11 points as senior center Andrew Mills (Newcastle, WA) and junior center Jack Colston (Dana Point, CA) each provided 10 points.

Southwestern gained 18 points from Albert Suniga, who was perfect from the floor at 6-for-6. Houston Friend hit five three-pointers to score a total of 17 and also distributed four assists.

As the Lee Fulmer Tournament continues, Redlands (1-3) faces regional rival UC Santa Cruz (4-4) in tomorrow's 7:30 p.m. showdown, while Southwestern (1-4) battles it out with Caltech (0-4) at 3:30 p.m.

Earlier today, Santa Cruz staved off a persistent Caltech squad during a game that saw nine lead changes and nine tied scores before the Banana Slugs finally pulled away to win by a score of 79-64. But first they had to overcome an eight-point deficit early in the first half to nab a two-point lead at the break. Santa Cruz eventually enjoyed a 14-4 run to gain its first double-digit advantage of the game at 52-42 with 12:53 left in the second stanza. The Beavers cut it to eight but the Banana Slugs maintained the lead through the final whistle.

Ryan Matsuoka stepped up his game to lead Santa Cruz to victory by posting 17 points, three assists, and three steals. Brent Jacobs recorded 18 points and eight rebounds, while Darrin Lew added 16 points, five steals and four assists.

For Caltech, Ryan Elmquist provided 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in a truly well-rounded effort. Mike Edwards came off the bench for 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Mike Paluchniak added 13 points and four boards.

In today's 3:30 p.m. game, Whittier College started slow against West Coast Baptist College but shot an astounding 69.2% in the second half to take over the game. Early in the second stanza, the Poets broke the halftime tie with an offensive onslaught to garner a 52-40 advantage and never relinquished control of the game. Although Whittier's 17-point lead with less than four minutes to play was cut to nine at the final whistle, the outcome was never in question.

With four players in double figures, the Poets gained a team-high 16 points from Willie Mebane, who also contributed six rebounds and four assists. Damon Perry tossed in 13 points and eight boards, while Nathan Easterman and Greg Preer rounded out the top scorers with 10 apiece.

West Coast Baptist gained a double-double from Carlos Johnson with a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Molencupp came off the bench for 14 points in just 19 minutes of action. Colton Cochran scored 13, pulled in five rebounds, and dished out four assists. Akeem Smith went 6-for-7 from the charity stripe en route to a 12-point performance.

Whittier (3-1) takes on Chapman University (4-1) in tomorrow's 5:30 p.m. game, while West Coast Baptist (1-6) faces off against American Sports University (2-7) at 1:30 p.m.

Chapman and American Sports tipped off the tournament in today's opening game, with the Panthers earning a 76-53 victory. Chapman garnered the lead on its first shot of the game as Max Piner nailed a three-pointer and never gave up control. The Panthers extended their advantage to 36 points with 10:51 to go in the second half. Although American Sports clawed its way back to make it a 22-point game with 5:16 remaining, that was as close as it would get.

While using 15 different players, Chapman gained at least two points from all but one. Griffin Ramme led the Panthers with 14 points, going 4-for-6 from the field. Last year's tournament MVP, Justin Riley, posted a solid all-around game with 12 points, eight rebounds four assists and three blocks.

For complete box scores, please log on to the tournament web page http://www.goredlands.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/files/Fulmer.