On Saturday evening in Currier Gym, the University of Redlands men's basketball team defeated the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 81-72. In an exciting contest that never saw the Bulldogs trail, Redlands remained perfect in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition while draining 13 three-point shots on the night.
Not only did the Maroon and Gray shoot lights-out from downtown at a clip of 59.1%, but the team also shot a season-best 61.5% from the field. The 13 shots hit from beyond the arc also marked a season-best for the Bulldogs.
Jumping out to the start it was looking for, Redlands led 12-3 after just five minutes. Junior guard Ricky Peetz (Redlands, CA) and junior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO) drained back-to-back three-balls for the Bulldogs to help spur on the offense in the early going.
After the teams exchanged scores, Rudd stayed hot from downtown, nailing another shot from deep to give the U of R a 23-12 lead midway through the first half. On the game, Rudd finished with 11 points on an efficient 4-for-5 shooting night.
With just five minutes remaining before the halftime break, senior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) sank a couple of important baskets to push the Bulldog advantage to 19 points.
The Sagehens fought back, however, and cut Redlands' lead to just 13, and at the half, the Bulldogs led 41-28.
Both squads came out firing at the start of the second half, and Pomona-Pitzer continued to inch closer and closer, cutting the Bulldog lead to just three points with 11:11 remaining in regulation.
Up 59-56, senior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) hit a tough jumper to push the lead back to five points. Immediately following a steal by Kirk, Kuklok pulled up from three-point land and drained the shot, sending the Currier crowd into a frenzy, as he was also fouled on the play. Kuklok finished with 10 points for the game.
Following Kuklok's impressive plays, senior forward Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) converted a couple of tough layups, and just like that, the lead was back to 10 points.
Two quick Sagehen baskets cut the deficit in half, but Peetz subbed into game and nailed three shots from beyond the arc in a three-minute span to put the Bulldogs up by 12 points with just three minutes remaining in the second stanza. On the night, he finished with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range.
Over the final few minutes, Redlands played solid defensively and held Pomona-Pitzer to just five points, securing the crucial SCIAC victory for the Bulldogs. On the night, the Bulldogs held the Sagehens to just 45.5% from the field.
Five Maroon and Gray players scored in double digits, while Kirk and Brensdal both recorded game-high outputs of 16 points apiece. Kirk shot 7-for-8 from the field in addition to dishing out seven assists and grabbing two rebounds. Brensdal went 7-for-10 on the evening and notched a team-high nine boards.
For the Sagehens, Kyle McAndrews led the team in scoring, tallying 14 total points, while four other players also reached double digits.
Redlands (3-2, 2-0 SCIAC) travels to Eagle Rock on Wednesday evening to take on Occidental College in the last SCIAC contest of the calendar year for the Bulldogs. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
