After clinching the regular-season Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) title on Saturday evening with an exciting 76-64 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, the University of Redlands men's basketball team looks forward to hosting a SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinal. The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs face off against the fourth-seeded Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Friday, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym.
Tickets are required for Friday's contest, with all employees and students of member SCIAC schools admitted free with identification. Children 12 and under are also free. All other general admission tickets are $5 per person.
Directions to the gym are available at http://goredlands.com/Fan_Central/Maps_directions. Fans unable to attend the game may follow the action via live stats or watch the live video feed.
The SCIAC looks forward to selling tournament t-shirts, including short-sleeved for $15 and long-sleeved for $20. Additionally, tournament programs will be available at the entrance to the gym for free.
Redlands (20-5, 15-1 SICAC) enters the conference postseason tournament for the third-straight season, having won the tournament back in the 2010-11 campaign. The Bulldogs are currently riding a nine-game winning streak and have won 13 out of their last 14 contests, dating back to December 30.
Led by a total-team effort, the Bulldogs find four different players in double-digits for scoring during conference play. Senior forward Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) paces the U of R offense, averaging 14.5 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds. Junior forward Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO) provides a nice spark off the bench for the Bulldogs, averaging 14.0 points per contest, including almost three long-range efforts a game.
Additionally, senior guards Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) and Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) average 11.8 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. Moreover, Kirk leads the team in both assists (4.6) and steals (1.8) during conference play.
For Pomona-Pitzer, sophomore guard Kyle McAndrews (Seattle, WA) leads the way with 13.3 points per game during conference play, while junior forward Jake Klewer (Tucson, AZ) has been big in the rebounding department, averaging 8.9 boards a game to go along with 9.3 points per contest.
Redlands defeated Pomona-Pitzer in both meetings during the SCIAC regular season. On December 1, the Bulldogs were led by Brensdal and Kirk's combined 32 points en route to the 81-72 triumph. On January 26, the Maroon and Gray pulled out a thrilling win on the road, topping the Sagehens 95-86 in overtime. Rudd scored a game-high 25 points in the win, including three shots from downtown.
Friday's contest will mark the first time these two programs have ever matched up in a SCIAC Postseason Tournament contest.
Friday's other semifinal game includes the No. 2-seeded Stags of CMS and the No. 3 seeded Poets of Whittier College in a 7:30 p.m. showdown at Claremont. The semifinal winners will play at the highest remaining seed on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
