Kingsmen Battle Bulldogs in Loss

REDLANDS, Calif. – On the road tonight in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action, the Cal Lutheran men’s basketball team took a first half lead against second place Redlands but fell 67-55 in the end at Currier Gymnasium tonight.

After winning the opening tip-off the Kingsmen jumped out an 8-0 lead on a layup and a three-pointer from Corey Quintana on consecutive possessions followed by a Dan Wade long-ball. Collin Knudsen got in on the early scoring; pushing the advantage to 10-2 at the 16:05 mark and CLU led 15-4 at 13:46, forcing Redlands to use a timeout.

In the opening half the Kingsmen took a 13-point lead when Knudsen knocked down a free-throw at 8:10 and also went up by 12 twice. The first time, a Wade three-pointer made the score 18-6 with 12:48 to play and CLU again made the gap 12 at the 8:49 mark on a Jayvaughn Nettles three-pointer, assisted by Wade.  

The Bulldogs chipped away and took their first lead, 32-30, of the night with 46 seconds to play in the opening frame on an Alex Rudd three-pointer. UR would take a three-point, 34-31, cushion into the locker rooms.

After the break the Bulldogs came out with the ball and scored on their first possession, never looking back as they outscored the Kingsmen 8-2 in the first four minutes of the stanza en route to the victory.

CLU got back within seven after a Quintana and-one and a Nettles layup with 4:24 to go, but the Bulldogs scored the next 10 points unanswered.

Overall, Cal Lutheran shot 40 percent from the floor and Redlands was at a 40.3 clip as a unit. The Kingsmen were 7-for-20 from three-point range while the Bulldogs were 8-for-15. At the charity stripe CLU converted just 36.4 percent of their chances while UR was 62.5 percent. The home squad pulled down 44 rebounds to 33 by the Violet and Gold.

Quintana led the Kingsmen with 15 points, tying Nettles and Michael Palmer with six boards each to share the team and game-high. Martin Flowers dished out three assists with Knudsen, Nettles and Wade handing out a pair apiece. Wade also finished in double figures with 12 points. Defensively, Quintana recorded a game-high three blocks.

Redlands (12-5, 7-1 SCIAC) was paced by Tristan Kirk with a game-high 19 points and Josiah Brensdal with 13 points and six rebounds, joining the CLU trio for the game-high.

Cal Lutheran (7-11, 3-6) travels to Caltech on Saturday as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. Tip-off for the women is set for 5:00 p.m. with the men’s contest to follow at roughly 7:00 p.m.

Box Score: UR 67, CLU 55  
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