Redlands Men's Basketball leads for all but 9 seconds in NCAA First Round win over Saint Joseph's (Maine) - D3hoops
The University of Redlands men's basketball team (23-4) defeated Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC), 89-79, in the NCAA First Round for their first tournament win since 1985 when they won the third place game against Saint John's University (Minn.) in the west regional.
They established a 20-point lead in the first six minutes of the game as they were up 25-5. Omari Ferguson had eight point thanks to two made threes. Dayvon Gates added five points and the both Donovan Ware and Jake Hlywiak converted from down town.
The Monks cut into the lead by eight points across the next four minutes. SJC got as close as seven, 40-33, with 3:13 to play, but Redlands scored 10 quick points in less than two minutes as they went into the half up by 14, 50-36. Kendrick Currey, Lucas Gordon, Nathan Mattera, and Ware all scored during their strong finish.
Unlike the finish to the first half, SJC scored seven unanswered points to cut it to single digits, 52-43, at the 15:41 mark.
Gates and Ferguson then set up Ware and Mattera for threes during another 10-0 run that put the Bulldogs by 19, 64-45.
That 10-0 run would be more than enough for the Bulldogs as they were up by double figures the rest of the game as they never trailed and led for the final 39:51.
Nine players played 16 or minutes and 10 scored. Gordon led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Gates and Ferguson had 12 points each while Chozen Amadi and Currey had 11 and 10 points respectively.
Defensively the Bulldogs held the Monks to 36.6 percent shooting in large part to their 11 blocks. Jhace Boston led the way with five. He also added three steals. Boston now has 36 blocks this season, tying him for 11th most in program history.
Gordon chipped in three block and two steals. Currey led the team with three steals while Gates and Mattera had two.
Head coach Eric Bridgeland and the Bulldogs push their win total to 23, the most since 1960-61 when Lee Fulmer won a program record 27 games.
Redlands will now prepare to play the regional host and No. 8 team in the country Tufts University tomorrow at 2:15 p.m. pacific time with the winner advancing to the third round against the winner of University of Pittsburgh at Bradford or Hampden-Sydney College vs. Bryn Athyn College.
