Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Whittier College men's basketball team opened up SCIAC play as they took on the Bulldogs of the University of Redlands Saturday evening but was unable to pull off the second half comeback as the Bulldogs held on for the 103-91 victory.

Despite scoring 56 points in the second half and shooting 56% from the field, the Poets were unable to surmount a comeback to win their fourth straight game.  All five Poet starters scored in double figures, while SCIAC athlete of the week Drew Menez (Clayton, Calif.) paced the Poets yet again as he dropped a game high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

Down the stretch free throws became a major factor in the loss as Whittier shot 17-of-36 from the charity stripe for 47% compared to Redlands' 78%.  The Poets who have hit the 100 point plateau four times this season and have averaged 94 ppg, were unable to cover the inside and outside presence of the Bulldogs as they made 12 three pointers and converted 29 free throws for the game.   

Whittier now drops to 8-4, 0-1 SCIAC, while Redlands now improves to 6-6, 1-0 SCIAC. 

Nathaniel Easterman (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) again missed a double double as he poured in 14 points to go along with six rebounds, while Kelly Johnson (Pomona, Calif.) hit double figures with 10 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and four steals. 

Junior Jordan Ramos (Diamond Bar, Calif.) had a breakout game as he came off the bench to play quality minutes at the point pressuring the ball and chipping in with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting to go with three steals, and three rebounds.  With his added pressure the Poets were able to chip away at the Bulldog lead with help from Greg Preer (Los Angeles, Calif.) who finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with 2-of-3 from behind the three point line.

The Purple & Gold outshot the Bulldogs for the game 53% compared to their 47% and got up early in the first half 10-7 but that lead soon diminished as the Bulldogs went on to go up 29-17.  Whittier fought back though to cut it to nine at the one-minute mark, but a layup by Tristan Kirk with 25 seconds left in the half resulted in a double-digit lead that Redlands maintained through the final whistle. 

Two Bulldogs chipped in with 21 points including Jack Colston (Dana Point, Calif.) and Tristan Kirk (Redlands, Calif.), while Colston finished with a double double hauling in 12 boards to go along with six assists.

Redlands shot 47.0% overall but scored 29 points off of the Poets' 20 turnovers.  The Bulldog bench accounted for 35 points, compared to Whittier's 19.

Whittier still seeks their first SCIAC win as they host the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran University on Wednesday, January 11 beginning at 7:30pm.