Friday, November 6
Redlands, CA
7:00 PM
UC Santa Cruz Athletics
0-1
83
at
96
University of Redlands
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Santa Cruz | 40 | 43 | 83 |
| Redlands | 49 | 47 | 96 |
11/6/2026 9:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
REDLANDS, Calif – The UC Santa Cruz men's basketball team fell to Redlands University 96-83 to open the 2026-27 season. Leo Wagner led the Slugs with 20 points on the night, shooting 7-17 from the field including two three-pointers and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Hunter Kennedy and Jack Rivera both contributed off the bench, with 17 and 10 points respectively. Kennedy shot 3-4 from three-point land and was a perfect 2-2 from the line, and Rivera added five rebounds to his 10 points scored. The Banana Slugs were limited to 45% from the field and 31% from three in the opening content.  Up next, UC Santa Cruz will play versus UC Merced on Thursday, November 12.
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How it happened:
UC Santa Cruz fell behind from tipoff with Wagner bringing home the first points for the Banana Slugs. Redlands pressured UCSC with a full court pressed that caused the Banana Slugs to rush in the backcourt, putting UC Santa Cruz in an early deficit to start the game. The Banana Slugs responded as they managed to test press breaks in the back court allowing UCSC to work offense without feeling sped up. Wagner brought in consistent points to boost UCSC in a scoring drought as Thomas Conley, Miles Burrows, and Aidan Carleson all contributed with halftime drawing near. After bringing the lead as narrowing as one point at 30-31, UC Santa Cruz ended the half facing a nine-point deficit going into the final twenty.
Aiden Carleson opened scores for UCSC to open the second half. Redlands continued to pressure the Banana Slugs and force turnovers to open the second half, converting UCSC live-ball turnovers into layup opportunities to expand on the lead over the Slugs. Leo Wagner continued to bring in consistent points for the Banana Slugs and gather needed rebounds for UCSC. The lead continued to expand as UCSC struggled to find a reliable break to Redland's press break. Ollie Miller added points late for the Banana Slugs, but ultimately the game became too high of a lead to come back from.
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How it happened:
UC Santa Cruz fell behind from tipoff with Wagner bringing home the first points for the Banana Slugs. Redlands pressured UCSC with a full court pressed that caused the Banana Slugs to rush in the backcourt, putting UC Santa Cruz in an early deficit to start the game. The Banana Slugs responded as they managed to test press breaks in the back court allowing UCSC to work offense without feeling sped up. Wagner brought in consistent points to boost UCSC in a scoring drought as Thomas Conley, Miles Burrows, and Aidan Carleson all contributed with halftime drawing near. After bringing the lead as narrowing as one point at 30-31, UC Santa Cruz ended the half facing a nine-point deficit going into the final twenty.
Aiden Carleson opened scores for UCSC to open the second half. Redlands continued to pressure the Banana Slugs and force turnovers to open the second half, converting UCSC live-ball turnovers into layup opportunities to expand on the lead over the Slugs. Leo Wagner continued to bring in consistent points for the Banana Slugs and gather needed rebounds for UCSC. The lead continued to expand as UCSC struggled to find a reliable break to Redland's press break. Ollie Miller added points late for the Banana Slugs, but ultimately the game became too high of a lead to come back from.
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Players Mentioned
Wing
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
UCSC
REDLANDS
FG%
.450
.407
3FG%
.318
.160
FT%
.786
.759
RB
43
48
TO
31
17
STL
11
26
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
5
