SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Basketball team returned to non-conference play Saturday night earning a 76-62 win over the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz.
The Maroon and Grey improve to 5-3, 1-0 SCIAC and currently ride a three-game winning streak, which started back on November 23. Four Bulldogs recorded double digits, which included three starters led by Darne Duckett (Oakland, CA) who provided a 16-point, seven-assist effort. Neil Owens (Pasadena, CA) supported with 14 points, going 4-for-6 from deep to go with five boards and four assists. Romeo Mays (Vallejo, CA) missed out on a double-double posting 13 points, nine rebounds, three steals and a block and Colin McCarthy (Redwood City, CA) provided a spark off the bench finishing with 10 points on 50% shooting coupled with eight rebounds.
It was a slow start for the Bulldogs making their first basket 2:19 into the game with Duckett finding Owens for a deep three, which were the first points of the contest. The Banana Slugs responded though scoring the next 10 points until Duckett found sophomore Josh Himel (Jacksonville, FL) for the second three of the game, cutting the deficit to four. This connection from Himel would spark eight unanswered by UR, which included layins from Mays and Nathan Anderson (Los Angeles, CA) that put them on top 11-10 at the 11:14 mark.
After another conceded run to the Slugs that put them in a seven-point hole, Mays went on a personal 5-0 run, which included a three-point play the old fashioned way that jump-started thirteen straight by the Bulldogs giving them a six-point lead, 24-18. During the surge McCarthy went back to back on three-pointers and Sam Abere (Lake Oswego, OR) knocked down a jumper.
After giving up the lead for a second time Redlands was able to regain the momentum at the end of the half with Mays adding a layup with four seconds left that moved the score to 31-29.
Out of the break Duckett got to work quickly scoring the first four points on a pair of layups. But somehow the Banana Slugs were able to muscle their way back taking the lead at 35-34. A minute later UR was able to go back on top with sophomore Justice Marmara (Arlington, TX) getting into the boxscore with a layup followed by a couple of Duckett free throws. Then with 12:01 to play UCSC managed to string together eight straight that again gave them the edge this time at 47-42. But this would be the last time UC Santa Cruz would lead as sophomore Robert Power (Pacific Palisades, CA) would start a run with a three-pointer, which then led to back to back connections from deep by Owens, a free-throw from Mays, and a jumper from Abere. This put UR on top 54-47 and they wouldn't look back as they would make it a 17-point game following a 26-4 run. During this span Power had nine points and Owens added eight of his 14 that put the game away.
The Bulldogs shot 35.1% from the field, while knocking down 13 triples (38.2%) for the game. They picked up a season high 20 assists, added 32 points off turnovers and outrebounded UCSC 61-38, with 20 of them coming on the offensive glass.
Redlands travels now to faceoff against Division I Cal State Fullerton in an exhibition game on December 17 beginning at 7:00 p.m. They will then travel to Thousand Oaks, CA on December 28-29 to play a pair of neutral games against Benedictine University (Ill.) and Northwestern (MN). Game times are still to be determined.