The University of Redlands men's basketball team extended a first-half lead to eventually nab an exciting 65-55 victory against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match-up. In addition to moving into a tie for first place with CMS, Redlands also celebrates its first win against the Stags since 2007 while giving the Bulldog senior class its inaugural victory over the conference rival.

On Saturday night, Redlands mustered a 12-7 lead early in the game only to watch it disappear with consecutive baskets by the Stags.

A back-and-forth battle ensued, resulting in a three-point lead for CMS with 2:27 left in the opening period.

The Bulldogs responded with three unanswered baskets from downtown as senior center Andrew Mills (Newcastle, WA), senior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) and sophomore guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) drained their shots from beyond the arc. CMS could only muster a single free throw during this stretch, resulting in a 35-30 lead at the break.

From here, Redlands kept the Stags at bay, refusing to allow them any closer than three points through the last play of the game.

During the final minutes, the Bulldogs hit their free throws, shooting 100% for the second stanza, leading to the 10-point victory over CMS.

Dietrich erupted for a season-high 17 points, which included an 8-for-8 performance at the charity stripe. Mills and sophomore guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively, while senior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) nabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

CMS (10-7, 6-1 SCIAC) gained 13 and 12 points from Patrick Lacey and Joseph Anderson, respectively.

Redlands (9-9, 6-1 SCIAC) returns home to Currier Gym on Wednesday night for a SCIAC showdown against Occidental College at 7:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to show their Bulldog pride by wearing maroon for Wednesday's "MAROON OUT" event.