Competing in its second overtime game in three outings, the
University of Redlands men's basketball team came out
victorious over the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in last
night's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (SCIAC) showdown in Claremont. In a tight battle between
two talented teams, the Bulldogs took care of the ball at the
charity stripe and knocked down a critical three-pointer in the
overtime period to secure the 73-67 win,
With the victory, Redlands remains in sole possession of second
place in the conference standings.
The Maroon and Gray trailed by eight with just over five minutes to
go in the first half but rallied back with a 14-7 run to finish out
the period down by one at 32-33.
Redlands then faced an early deficit in the second half and
eventually tied it up for the fifth time all game at 56 apiece with
2:27 remaining.
Senior guard Andrew Maertens (Salt Lake City, UT) hit a jumper to
put the Bulldogs up by two but the Sagehens responded with a
three-pointer. However, Redlands also answered with a three by
senior guard Pat Coffey (San Carlos, CA) to make it a two-point
game with 1:41 left on the clock.
Pomona-Pitzer sank a jumper to tie it up again with 1:12 to go.
Despite having the ball with plenty of time, Redlands missed both
of its final shots, resulting in the overtime.
After giving up the opening basket in the extra period, the
Bulldogs tied it up off of a Maertens jumper and then gained the
lead on a made free-throw by junior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix,
AZ). From here, Redlands never looked back, connecting on nearly
every remaining shot to seal the 73-67 victory over
Pomona-Pitzer.
Redlands relied on a well-balanced attack with 10 different players
scoring at least two points. Dietrich led the team with 16 points,
including six in the overtime period. Freshman guard Brian Kuklok
(Poway, CA) came up with 12 points, including two three-pointers,
to go along with six rebounds. Coffey, Maertens, and junior center
Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) chipped in eight points
apiece.
Pomona-Pitzer gained a game-high 26 points from senior guard David
Liss (San Francisco, CA). Senior forward Justin Sexton (Watertown,
PA) and senior guard Adam Chaimowitz (San Diego, CA) tossed in 13
points each for the Sagehens.
The Bulldogs shot an impressive 80.0% overall from the free-throw
line, knocking down 5-of-6 shots during the overtime period. They
also hit 60.0% of their attempts from the field in the final five
minutes, compared to Pomona-Pitzer's 33.3% display.
In addition, Redlands dominated the boards with a 40-to-28
advantage on the night, including three more on the offensive
end.
The Bulldogs (12-9, 8-2 SCIAC) host the Poets of Whittier College
for Senior Night on Sat., Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. The women compete
that night as well, tipping off at 5 p.m. in Currier Gym.
