CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Basketball team exited the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season Tournament Wednesday night in the Quarterfinals nearly pulling off the upset of No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on the road 73-69.

The Bulldogs held a lead at the half, 36-31, extended that advantage to as many as nine in the second half and were able to hold this lead with 2:36 left.  But the Stags were able to close out the game with an 11-6 run, which proved the difference as they eliminated the Bulldogs from the playoffs.   

CMS jumped out in front quickly in the first half 8-0, but the tides turned in favor of the Maroon and Grey quickly after sparked by Romeo Mays (Vallejo, CA) who attempted and hit his first three-pointer of the season, followed by a tip-in on the Bulldogs' next possession. These two buckets led to eight unanswered for UR, which included a free throw from Robert Power (Pacific Palisades, CA) and a Khair Jackson (Canoga Park, CA) steal and conversion on a fast-break layup that tied the game up. 

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the game at the 10:59 mark when Neil Owens (Pasadena, CA) hit a three as Redlands led 11-10. That triple was the first of ten points for Owens who grew the lead to six, 18-12, with 9:15 left in the half. 

At the 7:04 mark, first year Gunner Wooden (Canton, MI) hit a three as the Bulldogs continued their hot shooting from deep and moved the advantage to seven, 28-21.

Redlands maintained their multi-possession lead all the way down to the 3:12 mark before the Stags were able to pull within three. A two-handed jam from Mays ended the CMS run and was followed by a Power layup, and a pair of Wooden free throws, which extended the lead back to five at the break. 

The Bulldogs continued to apply their deadly press against the Stags to start the second half extending their lead to their largest of the game at nine, 44-35 highlighted by a pair of threes from Josh Himel (Jacksonville, FL) and Jackson. 

After that Redlands went cold on the offensive end getting held scoreless over the next 3:10. But because of that continued pressure on defense the U of R was able to maintain their lead at five until Owens was able to convert a layup inside ending the dry spell and making it a seven-point game, 46-39. 

Owens continued to carry the offense with another three at the 11:41 mark when Colin McCarthy (Redwood City, CA) was able to find him for the open look. With the connection, the Bulldogs led by eight despite only scoring five points in the previous 5:45 thanks to a great defensive focus and effort. 

The Stags continued to battle though and stayed within striking distance until they were able to go on a run before taking the lead at the 7:34 mark, 54-53.  Before that the Bulldogs had found four points over the previous 3:37, giving the Bulldogs seventeen points in 12:26 to start the half. 

Even with difficulty trying to find buckets the Bulldogs were in the game re-taking the lead thanks to a Mays' layup and an Owens jumper with 6:30 left, 57-56. 

With less than four minutes left and the deficit three Sam Abere (Lake Oswego, OR) and Owens came up clutch with a pair of baskets with 2:36 left as the Bulldogs took a timeout carrying the 63-62 lead.

Out of the break the Stags took control taking a four-point lead with less than a minute remaining, but Owens continued to will Redlands back as he converted on three free throws with :47 seconds left as UR drew within one, 67-66. 

On the ensuing possession for CMS, they would come down and connect on a triple with :17 seconds left that made it a four-point game. After that they didn't look back as a turnover and three free throws would secure the win.    

The Bulldogs were led by Owens who poured in 27 points on 8-of-20 shooting, 4-of-9 from deep and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He also added four assists, three rebounds, and a steal. Mays added a double double in his final game as a Bulldog with 12 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and a block and Jackson chipped in with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. 

As a team the Bulldogs shot 37.3% from the field, 43.5% from three-point territory, and 71.4% from the free throw line.  They grabbed 32 rebounds and forced 17 turnovers turning them into 18 points.  They added 24 points in the paint and put up 10 second chance points. 

Redlands ends 2021-22 with an 11-12, 7-8 SCIAC record but 2022-23 looks really bright for the Maroon and Grey as they return four of the five starters from this evening and eleven players from this years squad.