REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Basketball team (20-3, 12-2 SCIAC) avoided Occidental College's upset bid, 69-67, at home on senior night as they honored Chozen Amadi (Dallas, TX), Kendrick Currey (Manteca, CA), and Nathaniel Johnson (Seattle, WA).
Omari Ferguson (Chicago, Ill.), Jake Hlywiak (Valencia, CA), and Currey got the Bulldogs off to a 6-2 lead in the opening three minutes.
The UR defense played well, conceding only eight points in the first six minutes. That coupled with a three from Hlywiak and they were up seven, 15-8.
Four separate times the lead grew to eight, including at the 7:31 mark thanks to a Donovan Ware (Palmdale, CA) layup, but the Tigers would not go away.
They scored five quick points to draw within three a minute after the eight-point lead was established. The lead was then cut down to three with 4:41 to go.
Occidental finally took the lead on a jumper in the final minute as they scored nine of the final 11 points and held Redlands to only two points over the last 4:55.
The deficit in the second half for Redlands was four early on before Hlywiak converted on a four-point play and then made a three off a Ferguson steal to put UR back on top 39-38.
Neither team led by more than three points the rest of the half as the game was tied at 64-64 with 1:13 on the clock following a Lucas Gordon (San Marcos, CA) made free throw.
Despite the inconsistent offense, the Bulldog defensive unit continued to be a tough presence leading to offensive opportunities as they forced a missed shot from Oxy with Amadi grabbing the rebound. On the other end, with :30 seconds left, he drove in the paint and found a cutting Ferguson who finished and drew the foul. His made free throw put Redlands up three, 67-64.
With the lead in hand, the UR defense put together another good possession but the Tigers drained a long three that tied the game.
Following a 30-second timeout by Head Coach Eric Bridgeland the Bulldogs went pick-and-roll with Currey and Gordon. Currey used the screen and found the rolling Gordon for what would be the game-winning layup with four seconds left.
The Tigers did get one final shot off, but it was blocked by Gordon and the Bulldogs survived to maintain a tie with Cal Lutheran for first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings.
Currey and Hlywiak were the lone players in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Gordon had eight points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
The Bulldogs host Chapman University next Wednesday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. inside Currier Gym.
