Aided by an all-around team effort, the University of Redlands men's basketball team earned their third victory in a row with an 85-60 triumph over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, Occidental College on Wednesday night.
The Maroon and Gray opened up the game with a pair of triples from first-year forward Griffin Barker (Kirkland, WA) and senior guard Hass Berry (Riverside, CA), which helped Redlands build an early 8-3 lead in the first two minutes of action.
Later in the first half, junior guard Vincenzo Ferrari (Burlingame, CA) provided an instant boost off the bench with an offensive rebound that led to a bucket for senior wing Brittian Foster (Long Beach, CA), two steals, and a layup, all in his first minute and a half to help push their lead to 19-11 at the 13:06-mark.
Momentum remained with Redlands, as Berry converted a tough and-one and then followed up with a triple on the next possession for a 28-12 lead just over midway through the first half.
Despite the Tigers cutting the lead to single digits, the Maroon and Gray answered with 10 consecutive points, including the last five that came from junior forward Parker Landolf (Alamo, CA) to make it 37-23 with 3:10 remaining in the half. Berry added one more bucket to help the Bulldogs head into the locker room with a solid 39-25 advantage.
Out of halftime, Barker assisted senior forward David Menary (Grass Valley, CA) for a layup in the first 10 seconds. After a defensive stop, Barker snagged the defensive rebound and then knocked down a trey on the other end to boost the lead to 44-25 in the first minute of the second half.
Similar to the first half, Landolf delivered five consecutive points and a block in less than a one-minute span to push the Bulldog lead to 52-31 with 15:29 to go.
Although the Tigers clawed back to just a 12-point deficit later in the half, a 6-0 run that was capped off by junior guard Jack Roggin's (Toluca Lake, CA) third three-pointer of the game extended the lead back to 74-47 with 6:47 on the clock. Redlands sealed the conference victory with a pair of triples from first-year guard Aiden Williams (Portland, OR) in the final two minutes.
For the game, Landolf led the Bulldogs in scoring with 16 points on a 6-for-7 clip, to go along with five rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Barker put together a quality game with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block, while Roggin produced 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
As a team, the Maroon and Gray shot a season-high 58.2% from the field on an efficient 32-for-55 shooting night. In addition, they also knocked down 12 out of 25 three-pointers for a strong 48.0% from downtown.
Redlands (13-6, 6-4 SCIAC) plays the second of a three-game homestand against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday, February 8, at 5 p.m.
