The University of Redlands men's basketball team came up short in the final seconds of today's non-conference game as Whitman College (WA) stormed back from a seven-point deficit to steal a 94-93 win over the Bulldogs.

In an otherwise even battle, the game was determined from the charity stripe, with Whitman converting 77.3% of its opportunities, compared to 62.1% for Redlands.

With 5:44 to go in the second half, the Bulldogs held an 88-81 lead but the Missionaries inched their way back into the game by taking care of the ball as the Redlands offense went cold. Whitman cut the lead to two when sophomore forward David Michaels (Las Vegas NV) sank a jump shot with 3:09 to play.

On the ensuing possession, senior guard Pat Coffey (San Carlos, CA) was fouled on the drive but converted only one of his two free throws to extend the Bulldogs' advantage to three points.

However, junior guard Justin Artis (Tacoma WA) answered for the Missionaries with a lay-up, making it a one-point game once again.

Junior guard Justin Sobczyk (Palm Desert, CA) drew the shooting foul on the next play with 1:03 to go but only made the second free throw, keeping Whitman within reach at 90-88.

The Bulldogs gained another chance to make it a two-possession game when junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) went to the line with 45 seconds left in the game, but for the third time, Redlands only converted one of two opportunities.

After a quick lay-up by Whitman's Michaels, Redlands held a one-point advantage at 91-90 with 29 seconds left on the clock.

Dietrich stood at the line for the second time in the final minute and sank both free throws, putting Redlands up by three.

However, the Missionaries ran the floor for an easy lay-up to pull within one at 91-92 with 14 seconds remaining.

A fifth free-throw opportunity put the game in the Bulldogs' hands, but this time the Maroon and Gray missed them both.

After grabbing a big rebound, the Whitman squad ran the floor and freshman wing Brady Brent (Bend OR) made the winning lay-up with three seconds to go, ultimately handing the Bulldogs a difficult 93-94 loss.

Dietrich led Redlands with 21 points, going 6-for-8 from the floor. He also pulled down five rebounds and made one steal, one block and one assist.

Coffey and Sobczyk each contributed 14 points, while junior center Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) came up with 13 points and five boards.

Whitman gained double-digit performances from Artis and Michaels, both with 17 points, and freshman forward Drew Raher (San Francisco CA) with 13 points, and junior forward Daniel Davidson (Yakima WA) with 10.

The Bulldogs (1-1) look to rebound from today's loss when they face the Blue Jays of Elmhurst College (IL) tomorrow at 4 p.m. in Currier Gym.