After facing a two-point deficit in the opening minutes of Wednesday's game, the University of Redlands men's basketball team took the lead and never trailed again in an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) win over Whittier College. Though the Poets tied it up at 36 apiece, Redlands pushed past them with solid shooting en route to the 89-81 victory.

The Bulldogs held an eight-point advantage at the half as they enjoyed a 59.4% display from the field and an 80.0% showing from the free-throw line.

By starting the second half with a 13-8 run, Redlands quickly made it a 15-point game with 16:37 left on the clock.

At 12:30, junior guard Justin Sobczyk (Palm Desert, CA) nailed a three-pointer to earn the Bulldogs' largest lead of the game at 16 points.

Redlands hovered around a double-digit lead until 3:08 when Whittier cut it to nine off of the team's only three-pointer of the night. The Poets went 1-for-15 from beyond the arc.

Although Whittier moved within six with less than two minutes to go, the Bulldogs stymied the Poets' final efforts and captured an exciting 89-81 win.

Sobczyk led the Maroon and Gray with a career-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Senior guard Pat Coffey (San Carlos, CA) and senior guard Andrew Maertens (Salt Lake City, UT) chipped in 16 apiece, with both players knocking down three baskets from long range. Coffey also added eight assists while Sobczyk distributed six. Junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) rounded out the top scorers with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

Overall, Redlands shot 52.6% from the field, compared to Whittier's showing of 46.6%. The Bulldogs also performed well from long range, hitting 10 of their 22 shots. The Maroon and Gray succeeded at the free-throw line with a 79.2% display on 19-for-24 shooting.

The rebounding battle went to the Bulldogs with a slight edge at 36 to 35, but the Poets came out on top with five more offensive boards.

Redlands (7-8, 3-1 SCIAC) currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the conference. The Bulldogs host Cal Lutheran University on Saturday night as part of a SCIAC doubleheader with the women, who tip off at 5 p.m. The men's game begins at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym. Saturday also marks the annual Take a Kid to the Game Night, which features free admission for all adults accompanied by a child.