The University of Redlands men's basketball team begins their postseason with the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament Semifinal at home inside Currier Gym against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) on Friday, February 28 at 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs had a record season with a 22-3 overall record and a 14-2 SCIAC record. The 22 wins are the most since 2012-13 as are the 14 wins in conference.

This tournament is the third appearance in four years after missing it last season. Head coach Eric Bridgeland is the first coach to take Redlands to the tournament in three of four seasons since 2011-13.

Redlands were co-champions in the regular season with California Lutheran University. The Kingsmen got the No. 1 seed after finishing with a 2-0 record against CMS in comparison to the 1-1 mark for the Bulldogs.

CMS comes into this semifinal 18-7 overall and 11-4 inside SCIAC. Three of their four losses came to Redlands and Cal Lutheran. They were 10-2 at home, but 6-5 in true road games.

Four Bulldogs were named All-SCIAC, three of which made the first team. The three first teamers are the most since the 2012-13 season and the four total selections are tied for the most with the 1975-76, 1960-61, 1940-41, and 1935-36 seasons.

Leading the way is SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year and first team selection Omari Ferguson. He is the first player to earn the accolade in program history. Defensively he averaged 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game (SPG) in SCAIC play which ranks 20^th and 4^th respectively. On the offensive end of the floor Ferguson averaged 12.9 points per game (PPG) (14^th), shot 68.2 percent from the free throw line among qualified players (8^th), and added 2.6 assists per game (APG), 14^th.

Fellow first teamer, Chozen Amadi, averaged 14.3 points per game (PPG), the 10^th most. He also ranked fourth among qualified players in three-point field goal percentage (38.7) and second in threes made per game (2.9). He chipped in the seventh-most steals per game (SPG) at 1.8.

The third first team selection was Lucas Gordon. Gordon averaged 13.1 PPG (11^th), 9.7 rebounds per game (RPG) (3^rd), shot 65.8 percent from the field (2^nd), led the conference in blocks per game (BPG) at 1.3, and matched his block average with 1.3 SPG (10^th). During the season against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at home he grabbed 20 rebounds, the third most in single-game program history and one off the record held by Chuck Blair and Perry Bellaire from 1968 and 1989.

The lone repeat All-SCIAC selection was Kendrick Currey who was named to the second team. He was a key contributor in most of the main stat categories, averaging 9.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.5 APG (2^nd), 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio (3^rd), 0.8 BPG (9^th), and 1.3 SPG (11^th).

On the opposing side the Stags got three All-SCIAC selections in first teamer AJ Rohosy and second team selections Caelan Jones and former Bulldogs All-SCIAC member Neil Owens.

Rohosy will probably be an All-American at the end of the season. During SCIAC play he averaged 24.3 PPG (2^nd), 11.4 RPG (1^st), 67.8 percent from the field (1^st), shot 64.4 percent from the line (9^th), had 2.7 APG (13^th), 1.3 BPG (2^nd), and 1.2 SPG (14^th).

Joes and Owens were their perimeter offensive threats. Jones averaged 12.6 PPG (15^th), 4.2 RPG (24^th), shot 45.5 percent overall (10^th), made 2.1 threes per game (7^th), and averaged 2.1 APG (21^st).

Owens averaged 12.3 PPG (16^th), shot 42.6 percent from three (2^nd), made 2.7 threes per game (4^th), and added 2.4 APG (17^th).

Redlands led SCIAC in scoring 86.3 PPG. Defensively, however, is why they were co-champions because they posted the second lowest points against at 70.1 for a conference-high 16.3 point margin.

They shot 45.9 percent from the field (5^th), held opponents to 44.1 percent shooting (7^th), made 34 percent of their threes (5^th), allowed only 31.8 percent to be converted defensively (2^nd), made 203 free throws (2^nd), grabbed 39.8 RPG (2^nd), plus 4.8 in rebound margin (4^th), forced 19.9 turnovers per game (1^st), plus 6.88 in turnover margin (1^st), blocked 3.75 shots (1^st), recorded 12.31 steals (1^st), and finished fourth in assists with 15.31.

CMS ranked third in scoring at 82.6. They allowed 70.9 points (4^th), plus 11.7 in scoring margin (3^rd), made 49.2 percent of their field goals (1^st), held opponents to 41.5 percent shooting (1^st), made threes at a 35.7 percent rate (3^rd), made 6.9 threes per game (7^th), held opponents to 34.2 percent from behind the arc (6^th), made 194 free throws (6^th), averaged 40.4 rebounds (1^st), plus 9.6 in rebounds (1^st), forced 13.6 turnovers (3^rd), plus 1.44 in turnover margin (3^rd), blocked 2.88 shots (4^th), recorded 9.06 steals (3^rd), and first in assists at 18.44.

The winner of this semifinal plays the winner of the other semifinal between No. 1 Cal Lutheran and No. 4 Whittier College on Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. at the highest remaining seed. The tournament champion earns the SCIAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championships, though, Redlands and Cal Lutheran are near locks to make it as at-large selections regardless of outcomes this weekend.