The University of Redlands men's basketball team captured its fifth consecutive win with a 71-52 showing against visiting Cal Lutheran University in tonight's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game. The Bulldogs rode an early 17-point lead and relied on solid shooting from all areas of the floor to come out on top in this important conference match-up.

The Maroon and Gray jumped out to a 20-5 lead midway through the first half.

However, the Kingsmen rallied back with a 19-8 run to make it a four-point game with just over a minute left in the half.

Back-to-back free-throws by junior guard Justin Sobczyk (Palm Desert, CA) and a lay-up by freshman guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) gave Redlands a 32-24 half-time lead.

During the second period, the Bulldogs never relinquished their double-digit lead as they shot 46.2% from the field, compared to the Kingsmen's showing of 33.3%. Redlands extended it to 19 points with 6:42 remaining when Kirk knocked down two more shots from the charity stripe. He finished out the night with a team-leading 17 points.

The Maroon and Gray earned its biggest advantage of the night at 21 points when freshman center Alex Giusti (La Jolla, CA) made a lay-up on the team's final possession.

In addition to Kirk, the Bulldogs gained double figures from junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ), who chipped in 10 points.  Junior center Andrew Mills (Newcastle, WA) provided nine points and 10 rebounds.

Ten other Bulldog players contributed at least two points in the victory. 

Redlands shot 33.3% from beyond the arc and 76.9% from the line. The Maroon and Gray lost the rebounding battle, 32 to 44, but won the turnover margin by nine.

The Bulldogs (8-8, 4-1 SCIAC) currently sit in a three-way tie with Occidental College and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges for second place in the SCIAC. Redlands looks forward to hosting Occidental College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.