The Pacific University men's basketball team closed out the game on a 9-0 run en route to a 71-68 win over Redlands on Monday afternoon.

"It was a huge road win for us against an excellent basketball team," said Pacific head coach Tim Cleary. "I was very proud of the guys for not giving up in spite of being down late. We talk all the time about keeping our cool and just plugging away. We got into a late game scenario that gave us a chance and we were able to capitalize and execute when we had to."

The Boxers (7-2) were trailing by six, 68-62, with :36 left on the clock before junior R.J. Collins (Hollister, Calif.) hit his third 3-pointer of the afternoon. Then, after the Bulldogs missed the front end of a 1-in-1, they surrendered an uncontested lay-up to senior Michael Joseph (pictured; Anchorage, Alaska) to cut the deficit to one, 68-67 with 17 seconds to play.

Next, after a Boxers' timeout, Pacific was forced to foul and the Bulldogs' missed a pair of free throws. Then, Joseph came down with the rebound, this time, the Bulldogs elected to foul Joseph, who entered the game as 67.9% shooter from the free-throw line.
 

The Anchorage, Alaska native silenced the doubts, making both free throws with 5.4 seconds left to give Pacific its first lead since halftime.

Holding to a one-point lead, the Pacific defense rose to the occasion with freshman Davis Holly (Bend, Ore.) stealing a Pacific pass and sealing the win with a pair of free throws with one second left. Redlands was unable to get off a last-second shot to complete the come-from-behind win for the Boxers, who come back to Forest Grove with a 7-2 mark to match the best start since the 2013-14 season. "It was a gut check win, I couldn't be prouder of the guys," said Cleary. With the loss, Redlands falls to 3-3 on the season – two of their three losses have come at the hands of the Boxers.

Pacific started the game, making five of its first six shots. The two teams were tied on seven occasions in the first half before six unanswered points by the Boxers put the visitors ahead with 7:17 left in the opening half. Then, Pacific nearly led for the remainder of the first half, clinging to a 41-39 lead at the halftime break.

Senior K.C. Harrison (Las Vegas, Nev.) accounted for 10 of the points to lead Pacific, who had seven 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. The Boxers shot 51.5% (17-for-33) from the field, including 46.7% (7-for-15) from the 3-point line. The Bulldogs' tandem of Trevor Baker and Sean Milligan accounted for 11 and 10 points, respectively to lead host Redlands.

A 7-1 spurt to start the second half by Redlands put the host Bulldogs ahead for the first time since the 3:39 mark of the first half. Twice, the Boxers rallied to tie the game but each time there was an answer by the Bulldogs, who managed to build a lead as large as six on four occasions. The final six-point advantage came when Milligan made one of two free throws with :36 left to play.

For the game, four Boxers scored in double figures including Nate Olowo (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), who had 12 points, followed by R.J. Collins, who added 11 and J.B. Ewell (Portland, Ore.) and Harrison each scored 10 in the win. Plus, Joseph had a solid all-around game with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists. Baker ended the night with a game-high 22 to lead the Bulldogs, plus Milligan added 13 for Redlands.

Next, the Boxers will host Ripon on Friday, Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. for its final non-conference game before a full slate of rigorous play in the Northwest Conference.