The University of Redlands men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit at the start of the game and eventually enjoyed an 11-0 run late in the second half to defeat the Tigers of Occidental College by a score of 58-49 in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown in Eagle Rock.

The Tigers erupted with an 8-0 advantage before the Bulldogs rallied back to tie it up at 12 each at the 11-minute mark of the first half.

Neither team garnered much of a lead through the opening period, leading to a three-point game with Occidental ahead at the break.

However, Redlands knocked down 47.6% of its shots in the second stanza while holding Occidental to a 31.0% showing, which included a 0-for-8 performance from beyond the arc.

Down by three with 5:19 to play, the Bulldogs rattled off 11 unanswered points to take an eight-point lead with less than two minutes to go. During this stretch, the team went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe and senior forward Matt Dietrich (Phoenix, AZ) nailed his second three-pointer of the night.

Forced to foul in back-to-back possessions, Occidental sent sophomore guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) and senior guard Kent Ervin (Bend, OR) to the free-throw line. Both players stepped up with critical baskets, leading to the 11-point victory over the Tigers.

Senior forward Andrew Mills (Newcastle, WA) came up clutch for the Bulldogs, posting a career-high 18 points, which came off of 7-for-10 shooting. He also converted four of his six opportunities at the charity stripe.

Kirk backed him with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Senior forward Jordan Sanvictores (Redwood City, CA) nabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for Redlands.

Occidental's Jack Hanley knocked down 23 points to lead both teams. Deshun McCoy chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds.

Redlands (6-8, 3-0 SCIAC) looks forward to hosting the University of La Verne on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Currier Gym.