Despite a strong shooting performance, the Bulldog men's basketball team recorded a 65-88 loss to the visiting Missionaries of Whitman College (WA) in a non-conference bout earlier tonight. Redlands struggled against Whitman's high-flying offense and full-press defense en route to the Maroon and Gray's fifth consecutive defeat.

Although the Bulldogs posted a better field-goal percentage than their opponents in the opening stanza, Whitman sank eight of its 13 three-pointers to gain a commanding lead at the break.

Redlands garnered a 19-18 advantage at the 11-minute mark when senior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) converted a lay-up off of a Missionary turnover. But Whitman rattled off a 10-2 run to take control and eventually finished out the half with a trio of threes and a jumper to make it a 17-point game.

Although Redlands held Whitman to a 25.8% performance in the second half, the Bulldogs never closed in on the Missionaries, leading to the difficult loss.

Senior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) stepped up for the Maroon and Gray, providing 14 points as the team's leading scorer. Sophomore guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) chipped in 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting, while junior center Jack Colston (Dana Point, CA) pulled in nine rebounds and dished out five assists.

Whitman (7-4) gained a game-high 19 points from freshman guard Josh Duckworth, who went to the free-throw line 14 times and converted 10 of those opportunities. Sophomore guard Peter Clark knocked down four shots from beyond the arc en route to a 14-point performance, while senior guard Justin Artis added 12 points for the Missionaries.

Redlands (2-8) heads to Southwestern College in Arizona for a 12 noon showdown against the Eagles on Tuesday, January 4.