The University of Redlands men's basketball team battled it out against the visiting Golden Eagles of La Sierra University in their first appearance of the year as well as their first under Head Coach Eric Bridgeland. The Bulldogs battled through eight ties and four lead changes but ultimately fell just short in a 102-109 decision.

Sophomore guard Ben Peterson (El Segundo, CA) kicked off the game powering his way under the basket to snag an offensive board to find first-year guard Neil Owens (Pasadena, CA) for a crafty trey-ball to tie the score at 3-3. At 17:54 first-year guard Robert Power (Pacific Palisades, CA) swiped a steal and turned it into points with a mid-range jumper to pull ahead 9-5.

Five minutes later, the Maroon and Gray went on a four-point run that put them up by five, 20-15, with jumpers from Owens and first-year guard Sam Abere (Lake Oswego, OR). But the Golden Eagles found their rhythm and notched the score 20-20 in just over a minute and a half.

With their foot on the gas, the Bulldogs built their biggest lead of the night in the ensuing minutes. Sophomore guard Aiden Williams (Portland, OR) laid one in before Owens knocked down a pair of free throws. Power completed the run with a step-back from beyond the arc and then a layup for a 29-21 score with 8:10 remaining in the first. But Redlands was not done there.

First-year guard Justice Marmara (Grand Prairie, TX) and first-year guard Tyson Legner (Phoenix, AZ) contributed the next six points before Marmara assisted Owens for a trey and a 38-28 tally. Owens then swiped a steal that led to points for Peterson. Power concluded the offensive surge with a pull-up jumper for Redlands biggest lead of the night, 42-28, with 4:39 left in the first.

First-year guard Josh Himel's (Jacksonville, FL) not one, not two, not three, but four three-pointers propelled the Bulldogs to a strong first-half finish to enter the locker room with a 54-44 lead.

Although La Sierra came knocking on the door in the opening minutes of the second half, Owens drained two three-pointers to keep a solid, 11-point lead at the 17:06-minute mark.

Marmara then made his presence known in a big way over the next 13 minutes, owning 20 of Redlands' next 29 points which included two trey-balls. But the Golden Eagles stayed in step eventually equalizing the score 91-91 with 4:26 left in the contest.

Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles made the necessary adjustment to match Redlands' up-tempo style of play eventually handing the Bulldogs a tough 102-109 loss.

Marmara topped the team with 28 points while Owens and Power knocked down 23 and 22 points, respectively. Himel also chipped in 12 points off the bench. This foursome also combined for 14 of Redlands' 15 three-pointers.

The Bulldogs look to flip the script when they welcome the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen to Currier Gym on Saturday, March 13 for a 2 p.m. tipoff. Follow along via Live Stream on GoRedlands.com.