No. 2 Redlands Men's Basketball Faces Off Against Top-Seeded Pomona-Pitzer in SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship Game

No. 2 Redlands Men's Basketball Faces Off Against Top-Seeded Pomona-Pitzer in SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship Game

In his sixth trip to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament, 13th-year Head Coach Jim Ducey will chase his third SCIAC PST title against top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs ground out an intense 68-66 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Friday night. The game endured 10 lead changes and four ties, with Redlands leading by no more than six the entire game. The Maroon and Gray successfully defended the Stags' game-winning shot on the final possession to clinch the hard-fought victory. First-year forward Griffin Barker (Kirkland, WA) led the game with 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting, while senior forward David Menary (Grass Valley, CA) added 19 points and six rebounds in the win.

Barker leads the team with 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds on the season. He sets the bar for the conference with a 62.8% field-goal and a 53.8 three-point percentage. Menary also puts up big numbers with 14.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, while dishing out 2.9 assists. Junior guard Jack Roggin (Toluca Lake, CA) always steps up with 12.4 points and a team-high 4.1 assists for the season.

As a team, the Bulldogs lead the conference with 85.0 points per game. They not only lead the conference in offensive, defensive, and total rebounds but also assists with 19.0 per game.

For Pomona-Pitzer's semifinal win over Occidental College, the Sagehens cracked open a 29-16 lead at halftime and never looked back. The Tigers fought hard and won the second half, but the Pomona-Pitzer's lead was too big to overcome. The SCIAC's leading scorer and senior guard Micah Elan (San Francisco, CA) and junior forward Alex Preston (Darien, CT) each led the game with 17 points apiece. Preston recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds as well.

For the season, Elan paces the conference with 21.6 points per game and shoots at 49.1% from the field. Preston scores 15.9, while senior guard James Kelbert (San Jose, CA) averages 10.3 points per game. As a team, the Sagehens lead the conference in shooting with a 48.1% field goal percentage and a 38.7% three-point percentage.

The winner of Saturday's Championship earns an automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA National Championships.