The University of Redlands men's basketball team used a 52-point second half to propel the squad to a crucial triumph over the Tigers of Occidental College, 95-87.  On Fan Appreciation Night in Currier Gym, clutch shooting down the stretch and five players scoring in double-digits led the Maroon and Gray to its sixth-consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory.

The Bulldogs remain atop the SCIAC standings, just ahead of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, with just three contests remaining in the regular season.

Both teams came out flying, scoring at will during the first three minutes, and when Redlands senior guard Brian Kuklok (Poway, CA) drained a three-pointer, the score was tied at 10-10.

The teams continued to play at a fast pace for the remainder of the first stanza, but after senior guard Tristan Kirk (Redlands, CA) made a layup  at the seven-minute mark to give Redlands the 34-33 lead, Occidental closed the half on a 21-9 run.

The Tigers shot the ball from long-range at an extremely-efficient rate during the first 20 minutes, going 10-for-21 from downtown, including five long-range efforts during that final offensive spurt.  The Bulldogs also shot the ball well during the first half, registering a 59.4% mark from the field, but still trailed 43-54 as the teams entered the locker rooms.

Occidental started the second half right where it had left off in the first, with a made three-point shot.  By the 18:02 mark, the Tigers owned a 16-point advantage, their biggest of the night, at 61-45.

After a timeout, the Maroon and Gray regrouped and made its run, cutting into the deficit with every made shot.  After a Kuklok layup, junior guard Alex Rudd (St. Louis, MO) hit a shot from downtown, bringing the Bulldogs to within eight.

With 11:23 left in regulation, the U of R completed its comeback and took its first lead of the second stanza, at 68-67, when Rudd hit another long-range shot.

The two teams then went back and forth over the next several minutes, and after Occidental junior forward Kris Montoya (Portland, OR) nailed a three-point jumper with 5:06 left on the clock, the score was tied at 80-80.

Trailing 81-82, Bulldog senior forward Josiah Brensdal (Kent, WA) converted a well-executed layup off of a nice feed from Kirk, putting Redlands back in front by one with 3:29 remaining.  A couple of possessions later, Rudd pulled up for his fourth three-pointer of the night to give the Bulldogs a four-point lead.

Rudd would then score then next five points for Redlands via the free-throw line, but after Tigers' sophomore guard Ryan Chong (San Diego, CA) nailed his seventh long-range effort of the game with 1:27 left in the second half, it was just a four point Redlands advantage.

Then, with just 34 seconds remaining, Brensdal nailed the dagger three-pointer, sending the Currier faithful into a frenzy.  On the evening, Brensdal finished with 14 points on a 6-of-9 shooting-effort while also grabbing six boards, dishing out five assists and tallying three blocks.

Rudd notched a team-high 20 points, 15 of which came in the second stanza.  Kuklok also had a huge night, going for 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field.  Kirk just missed out on a triple-double, tallying 15 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.  Also scoring in double figures was junior guard Eric Radford (Federal Way, WA), shooting an efficient 5-for-8 from the field for 10 points.

The theme of the night for the Maroon and Gray was spectacular shooting, as the team shot at a 60.7% clip from the field.  Of the 37 made field goals, Redlands dished out an astounding 30 assists.  Additionally, the defensive efforts of everyone on Redlands picked up tremendously during the second half, holding the Tigers to just 33 points and 36.4% shooting. 

The U of R (17-5, 12-1 SCIAC) hosts Chapman University (11-11, 6-7 SCIAC) on Monday evening in Currier Gym for Senior Night.  In what will be the final regular-season home contest of the campaign for Redlands, tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.