CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University of Redlands men's basketball team (6-2, 2-1) defeated Pomona-Pitzer 73-71 for their first win over the Sagehens since January 2023.

Five minutes into the opening half the Bulldogs held an 11-6 lead after a three by Donovan Ware and a Chozen Amadi layup.

Eight minutes later Pomona-Pitzer converted on a three that capped a 26-3 run and put Redlands behind by 18, 32-14.

The Bulldogs, though, used the final seven minutes to cut the deficit to only five, 42-37, thanks to a three by Amadi and a fastbreak layup for Jake Hlywiak to end the half. During those seven minutes Hlywiak led the way with eight points, Thomas Hastings had Jhace Boston both had four points.

The first four points of the second half came from the Sagehens as it took three minutes for the Bulldogs to get on the boards when Amadi found Omari Ferguson for a basket in the paint.

At the 14:39 mark Boston blocked a shot and got Amadi out on a fastbreak where he made a jumper in the paint to give the Bulldogs the first lead since the first seven minutes of the first half.

Despite the strong opening eight minutes, the Sagehens responded with a 10-4 run and were up by two possessions, 61-56, with 6:17 to play.

14 seconds after the Pomona-Pitzer basket that made it a five-point lead, Ferguson came down and converted on an and-one to pull Redlands to within two.

The final lead change of the game came with 3:08 on the clock when Ferguson got a steal and fed Ware for a 66-65 lead. From that point forward the Bulldogs stayed in front and pulled out the win thanks to a 3-4 mark at the free throw line in comparison to the 1-3 mark for the Sagehens.

Amadi had a team-high 22 points while Ferguson (13) and Hlywiak (11) also reached double figures.

As a team Redlands shot 44.44 percent from the field in the first half and 43.9 in the second half, but their defense went from allowing a 60.71 mark in the first to a 36.36 in the second.

The Bulldogs wrap up their 2024 home schedule on Wednesday, December 18 at 3:00 p.m. when they host UC Santa Cruz inside Currier Gym.