George Fox, Chapman, Menlo and UC Santa Cruz Win on Day 2 of the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tournament

The University of Redlands men's basketball team came up short in its quest for a repeat appearance in the championship game of the 62nd Annual Lee Fulmer Memorial Tournament tonight, falling to the Bruins of George Fox University in overtime, 79-82. Despite a valiant comeback effort that pushed the game to the extra period, the Bulldogs struggled to hit the mark in the final minute as George Fox took care of business from the free-throw line.

The Bruins came out on fire, shooting at an 88.1% clip at one time early in the game. They held a 16-point lead at 27-11 and appeared to be going on a tear towards an easy victory.

However, Redlands remained patient as George Fox's hot hand cooled off when the Maroon and Gray cut the deficit to one with 3:41 remaining in the first half. Senior guard Patrick Coffey (San Carlos, CA) knocked down a three-pointer to breathe new life into the Bulldog offense.

The Bruins responded with an 11-5 run to finish out the half with a seven-point lead at 41-34.

George Fox eventually extended its lead to 11 points with 9:36 to go in the second half, but the Bulldogs refused to go away. Redlands finally tied it at 65 with just over two minutes remaining when junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) knocked down back-to-back free throws. He went on to rack up an incredible 32 points on the night.

The Maroon and Gray took its first lead of the game when junior guard Justin Sobczyk (Palm Desert, CA) sank his first free throw on the next play.

Following a critical rebound and a timeout by George Fox, senior wing Evan Atwater (Port Orchard, WA) answered for the Bruins with a three-pointer, putting them up by two at 68-66.

Not to be outdone, Dietrich responded by hitting the long ball to put the score back in favor of the Bulldogs at 69-68 with six seconds on the clock.

As the Bruins' sophomore wing Cole Whitehurst (Portland, OR) drove the basket on the ensuing play, he was fouled by Redlands, setting up the potentially winning free throws. However, he only hit one of two chances, resulting in a tie score at 69 with one second remaining.

During the overtime period, the Bruins simply made their shots and sank their free throws, gaining a six-point lead with 23 seconds left.

Despite a final-effort three-pointer by junior guard Kent Ervin (Bend, OR), the Bulldogs never fully recovered, resulting in a heartbreaking 79-82 loss.

George Fox gained a well-rounded scoring effort from its starters with Atwater leading the team with 22 points. Junior point guard Stephen Wiseley (Kirkland, WA) contributed 13, including three baskets from beyond the arc. Junior post Rich Smith (Bremerton, WA) came up with 12 points, Whitehurst added 11, and senior wing Dan Lingenfelder (Longview, WA) and senior post Alex Stockner (Monmouth, OR) each chipped in 10.

In addition to Dietrich's 32 points, Sobcyzk provided 11 as the only other double-digit scorer.

Redlands faces Cal Lutheran University in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, while George Fox takes on Chapman University in the championship game at 7:30 p.m.

In other action, UC Santa Cruz held off a late push by Willamette University to win by a score of 93-90.

Menlo College took control of the second half against West Coast Baptist College, resulting in a solid 83-61 victory.

Menlo and Santa Cruz face off in tomorrow's consolation championship at 3:30 p.m.

Willamette and West Coast Baptist battle it out for seventh place at 1:30 p.m.

Chapman pushed past a surging Cal Lutheran University team, 52-45, and faces George Fox in the title game at 7:30 p.m. Cal Lutheran and Redlands square off at 5:30 p.m. to decide third place.