A late second half surge by the University of Redlands proved to be the difference against the University of La Verne as the Leopards dropped a 71-60 home decision to the Bulldogs in SCIAC men's basketball action Wednesday night at Frantz Athletic Court.
Points were hard to come by for the Leopards down the stretch as they were held without a field goal over the final 12:03 of the contest. Redlands closed the game on a 14-2 run over the final 6:39 of the game to remain unbeaten in league play at 5-0 in the SCIAC and 10-4 overall.
Redlands trailed the Leopards 51-43 before going on a 20-7 run to take a 63-58 advantage with 5:06 to play. Later, a three-pointer from Josiah Brensdal put the Bulldogs up 66-60 with 2:48 remaining to help secure the victory.
The Leopards (2-11, 1-4 SCIAC) led 41-38 at the half and held a seven-point advantage at 56-49 on a Jake Vieth three-pointer with 12:03 remaining before the Bulldogs mounted their comeback.
The Bulldogs shot 48.2 % (27-56) from the field. La Verne went 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three-point range and finished with a 36-35 rebounding edge over Redlands in the contest.
Vieth totaled a game-high 21 points for the Leos, connecting on five three-pointers. Vince Bauer posted 10 points while Alex Wolpe tallied 9 points. Wolpe finished a point away from a double-double as he registered a game-high 12 rebounds on the evening.
Brian Kuklok paced the Bulldogs with 19 points, finishing 8-of-8 from the free throw line, while teammate Tristan Kirk added 14 points.
La Verne continues league action when it travels to Thousand Oaks to face Cal Lutheran on Saturday in a 7:00 pm tip-off.
