REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Basketball team (17-2, 9-1 SCIAC) came back from a double digit second half deficit to avoid a season sweep to Chapman University Wednesday evening inside Currier Gym as they beat the Panthers 76-66.

After conceding the opening three points of the game, Jhace Boston (Bakersfield, CA) got into the paint finding Chozen Amadi for a three-pointer followed by Jake Hlywiak (Valencia, CA) beating Chapman's defensive unit to the rim for a 7-5 U of R advantage.

The lead stretched to four, 9-5, after Cam Brown (Bakersfield, CA) found Lucas Gordon (San Marcos, CA) inside the paint, but the Panthers responded with twelve unanswered that gave them an eight-point lead, 17-9, with 11:48 on the clock.

A Redlands 10-0 run, though, swung the momentum back to their side with Gordon adding four points and Amadi and Derek Sangster (Sunnyvale, CA) each knocking down triples.  

Nathan Mattera (Fontana, CA) hit a three off a Donovan Ware (Palmdale, CA) assist with 6:39 to play, but that would be the second-to-last made field goal by the Bulldogs as the Panthers took an eight-point lead into the break, 33-25.

Chapman made two field goals in the first minute of the second half to push their lead to their largest of the game at 11, 38-27.

Redlands' defensive unit was the first to get on track in the second period as they held the Panthers scoreless for more than three minutes, while receiving points from Hlywiak, Amadi, and Gordon to draw within four, 38-34.

Just inside of ten minutes to play Hlywiak picked up a steal, and it resulted in a Boston jumper in the paint, which gave Redlands their first lead since the 6:39 mark of the first half when Mattera made a three-pointer.

Less than two minutes later the lead had ballooned to seven, 54-47, after Omari Ferguson (Chicago, Ill.) converted on an and-one. Chapman, however, kept things close with six straight.  

The game remained at a single possession until Amadi made a step back three-pointer with 2:13 on the cock, which forced a timeout by the Panthers. The three made it a five-point game, 64-59, and the Bulldogs would make 7-of-8 free throws to seal the win.

Amadi finished with 21 points, a season-high, with 15 of those coming in the second half. Gordon played around second half foul trouble scoring 13 points and added 17 rebounds along with three assists. Hlywiak also had 15 second half points for a total of 17.

Redlands goes on the road this Saturday, January 31 for a game at California Lutheran University (CLU) beginning at 2:00 p.m.