CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Basketball team battled early Saturday night against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, but couldn't pull off the upset as they fell 103-72.
With the loss, the Bulldogs drop to 7-6, 3-3 SCIAC putting them in a tie for fourth within the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings with Cal Lutheran University.
It was a competitive first half for the Maroon and Grey who trailed by just ten at the break. They held the Stags to only 33.3% shooting and got 13 of their 30 points from the bench, led by sophomore Josh Himel (Jacksonville, FL) who had eight points in just ten minutes. Midway through the period the Bulldogs held a two-point lead thanks to a Justice Marmara (Arlington, TX) triple after being fed by Neil Owens (Pasadena, CA). The rest of the half then saw six ties, with the last one coming at 27-27 thanks to a Khair Jackson (Canoga Park, CA) jumper and a pair of made free throws from Marmara. Unfortunately for the U of R CMS would close out the half with a 13-3 run that gave them a double-digit lead.
Despite putting up 42 points over the final 20:00 minutes and being efficient from the floor, shooting 46.4% the Bulldogs were unable stop the Stags as they would go to the line 23 times, while knocking down nine triples, shooting 71% from the floor and totaling 63 points.
Redlands got on the scoreboard 2:41 into the second half thanks to a jumper from Romeo Mays (Vallejo, CA). But that 16-point deficit was to much to overcome as the Maroon and Grey were unable to mount a late comeback.
Jackson, Marmara, and Mays combined for 45 points with Marmara putting up 16 with four rebounds. Jackson added 15 points with five boards and a pair of steals and Mays chipped in with 14 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. First-year guard Gunner Wooden (Canton, MI) had a career-high eight points with two assists and a rebound off the bench, while Himel totaled eight points on 3-of-7 shooting.
For the game Redlands shot 41% from the field, 28.6% from three-point territory, and 64% from the free-throw line. They totaled 24 rebounds, 36 points in the paint, and nine points off turnovers. They also got to the free-throw line four more times than the Stags and committed just nine turnovers, three fewer than CMS.
Redlands looks to bounce back this Wednesday, January 26 when they welcome in Occidental College beginning at 7:00pm. A reminder that no spectators are allowed inside Currier Gym for the month of January.
