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It has been an up-and-down run through the first half of conference play for the College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team.

On Saturday, the Corsairs traveled to Lassen and fell 71-66, dropping to 3-2 in the Golden Valley Conference.

The loss drops them into a three-way tie for second in the conference with Lassen and Shasta, one game behind leaders Butte (4-1).

“Lassen lured us into playing a style we didn’t want to play and they deserve credit for that,” CR head coach Ryan Bisio said. “We continued to take the bait for 40 minutes and lacked game plan discipline. Lassen control dates terms of engagement.”

Mason Mottashed led the Corsairs in scoring and finished with 23 points, while teammate Ty Dahlin added 10 points.

Mottashed continues to be a bright spot for the Corsairs.

“Mason Mottashed was spectacular, as always,” Bisio said. “His individual brilliance was the only reason we hung around in this game.

“I’m so proud of his leadership and the depth in which he applies himself to our team.

“He’s a one-stop shop for everything we love about basketball.”

Team defense, however, was a problem once again for the team.

“We continue to struggle in identifying and executing a coherent defensive strategy, particularly at the start of games,” Bisio added. “We compounded that with poor focus on player tendencies.

“You put those together and it’s virtually impossible to win on the road in this league.”

The Corsairs will try to bounce back when they host Shasta in conference action on Wednesday night to begin the second round of GVC play.

Tip off is set for 5 p.m.

CR is now 16-7 overall, while Shasta is 12-10.