Redlands, Calif. - The Men's Basketball team was back in action Saturday night as they traveled to the University of Redlands (0-1) and secured their first victory of the season, 109-102 over the Bulldogs.
It was an exciting back and forth battle through eight ties and four lead changes. The Golden Eagles would strike first from downtown, courtesy Duane Darrett Jr. Only seconds later, the Bulldogs would answer back with a trey ball of their own and so it would go in this thrilling matchup.
Four minutes into the first half, the score was tied at nine apiece. The Bulldogs would snap the tie, but not for long, as Uriel Lejtman grabbed an offensive rebound and made a quick jump shot to tie it back up at 11, with just under 15 minutes remaining in the half. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs found their rhythm and went up by 10 going into halftime.
Undeterred in the second half, the Golden Eagles continued to battle, fighting for every possession, which paid off, when Uriel Lejtman came up with a steal and kicked it out to Weston McKenney for the layup at the 18:14 mark. The Golden Eagles continued to claw their way back, working the ball around as a team, which gave Duane Darrett Jr. the opportunity to make another shot from downtown, off a nice pass from Ivan Egbunike, bringing the Golden Eagles within 3 points, 79-81 at the 7:32 mark. Minutes later, Marc Hall would score off the glass, giving the Golden Eagles the lead, 91-89 with 5:03 left to play. With the momentum shift, the Golden Eagles couldn't be stopped and Duane Darrett Jr. sealed the deal with a dunk as the clock expired in a come from behind win, 109-102.
Head Coach, John Janssen said, "[I'm] really proud of our resilience in the game. We spent 35 minutes behind and much of it behind by double digits, but the guys didn't stop believing. They didn't stop playing and we felt, if we could get a few stops, we could come back and win. It took the whole game to do it, but that belief and resilience finally paid off."
Uriel Lejtman had a game high 37 points, with 10 rebounds, followed by Duane Darrett Jr. with 21 points. Marc Hall chipped in another 14 points and two steals, while DJ Everage had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.
Next up, the Golden Eagles host the University of Redlands in a rematch, March 12th.
