The University of Redlands men's basketball team simply took care of business in Wednesday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) bout, defeating the visiting Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran University by a solid score of 72-56. The Bulldogs impressed from the charity stripe, sinking their first 15 attempts before eventually shooting 84% on the night. In addition, the Maroon and Gray gave up only 10 turnovers, which resulted in a mere two points for the Kingsmen.
Cal Lutheran scored on its initial possession for the early lead, but Redlands patiently inched away with a perfect 12-for-12 performance from the free-throw line in the opening half. The Bulldogs gained their largest advantage of the first half when sophomore guard Matt Calhoun (Clackamas, CA) chipped in back-to-back foul shots to make it 27-20 with 2:11 remaining.
However, CLU responded with a well-timed three-pointer by freshman forward Mike Harris (Alamo, CA).
Regardless, Redlands headed into the locker room with a 33-27 advantage.
The Bulldogs continued their persistent offensive push, making it a 10-point game at the 16:53-mark when Calhoun scored on a lay-in. He finished the night with 10 points and five assists.
Harris stepped up again for the Kingsmen, cutting the deficit to nine with a long ball at 13:25.
But Redlands responded with a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach with a 60-39 lead at 9:31. During this spurt, junior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) scored five points while senior guard Mychal Estrada (Redlands, CA) knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
Kirk led the Bulldogs with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Estrada chipped in 13 points. Junior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) offered 12 points, including a 7-for-8 performance from the charity stripe.
With 17 points, senior center Aaron Van Klaveren (Madera, CA) served as the Kingsmen's leading scorer. He also pulled in a game-high 13 rebounds. Harris and senior guard Xavier Walton (Sacramento, CA) offered the only other double-digit showing with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The Maroon and Gray shot 47.9% for the night, while CLU (6-10, 2-4 SCIAC) came in at 39.2%. The rebounding battle was tight, with Redlands edging out the Kingsmen, 34-33.
Redlands (9-8, 4-2 SCIAC) sits in a tie for third with Whittier College in the conference standings. The Bulldogs host the University of La Verne on Saturday in a SCIAC doubleheader. The women's team tips off at 5 p.m., followed by the men at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday also marks Fan Appreciation Night, which offers free t-shirts to the first 125 fans at each game.
