The University of Redlands men's basketball team struggled to answer the University of La Verne's 61.5% shooting display from beyond the arc and suffered its first loss of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition earlier tonight by a score of 63-75. The Leopards knocked down eight three-pointers in the game while posting a solid showing of 54.0% overall, while the Bulldogs converted only 39.3% of their shots, including a discouraging 3-for-19 performance from long range.

Amidst a back-and-forth battle, La Verne turned a three-point deficit into a five-point lead in the final 2:35 of the opening period. The Leopards gained a jumper and a trey from leading-scorer junior guard Trevor Woodland (Covina, CA) before sophomore shooting guard Jeremy Lay (Claremont, CA) supplied the dagger from beyond the arc to make it 35-30 at the break.

As the Redlands offense appeared out of rhythm early in the second half, the Leopards lit up the scoreboard with a 13-6 run to garner a 12-point lead at 48-36.

Junior point guard John Leggett (Riverside, CA) stretched La Verne's advantage to 15 points when he hit a layup with 11:49 to go in the second stanza.

Down 42-57, the Bulldogs refused to go away and eventually cut the lead to eight as senior guard Kent Ervin (Bend, OR) created opportunities for his team with three steals in a 30-second span.

However, Redlands missed its shots down the stretch and was forced to foul. La Verne stepped up by converting at the free-throw line to keep the Bulldogs at bay through the final whistle.

The Bulldogs gained another career performance from senior center Andrew Mills (Newcastle, WA), who knocked in 18 points to go along with five rebounds. Sophomore guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) supplied 15 points, four rebounds and three assists, while senior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) chipped in 12 points and nabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

La Verne (8-7, 3-1 SCIAC) was paced by Woodland with 26 points, which included 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Junior forward Austin Napolitano (San Dimas, CA) added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Leopards.

Redlands (6-9, 3-1 SCIAC) looks to bounce back on Saturday when it faces the Poets of Whittier College at 7 p.m. as part of Take a Kid to the Game® Night. The women also tip off that evening with a 5 p.m. showdown against the Poets.