Five Kingsmen Score Double-Digits, Tame Leopards

Five Kingsmen Score Double-Digits, Tame Leopards

LA VERNE, Calif. — California Lutheran men's basketball had a complete team effort with five Kingsmen scoring in double digits as CLU defeated the La Verne Leopards, 84-64, Saturday afternoon in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game in Sports Pavilion.

The Kingsmen have won three straight games, all against SCIAC competition, and have improved to 4-4 in the conference. Overall, they are 6-9.

Kyle Ferreira led Violet and Gold with 26 points. He hit six three-pointers and was 60-percent from behind the three-point arc. He led the team on the boards and pulled down eight rebounds.

Palmer Chaplin and KJ Moffett both recorded 12 points. Chaplin didn't miss a shot in the first half. He was 5-for-5 from the field, including two three-pointers. For the game, he added a team-high in assists and steals with four and two, respectively. Moffett shot 6-of-9 from the field as he scored his 12. He had the second-most rebounds on the team with seven.

Austin Cole and Michael Wadsworth were next as the duo tallied 11 points apiece. Both tied Chaplin with the most assists on the team. Cole completed his stat line with four rebounds, four assists and one steal. Wadsworth had four assists to go along with his 11 points.

The Kingsmen shot 56-percent from the field and 47-percent from three-point range. The outrebounded the Leopards 39-23. The big difference in the game was points in the paint. Cal Lutheran totaled 48, while La Verne had 26.

In the first 10 minutes of the game, there was three ties and four lead changes. The biggest lead for CLU was 4 and the biggest for ULV was 2. Ferreira then hit a three-pointer and the Kingsmen had a five-point lead, 19-14. The Violet and Gold continued to build a lead as Connor Cole made a layup to put CLU up seven, 23-16.

Chaplin added a layup a few plays later and Cal Lutheran was up 25-18 with 6:05 left in the half. In the final 1:30, Chaplin and A. Cole hit back-to-back threes and the Kingsmen were up 10. La Verne hit a three-pointer at the end of the half to cut into the deficit. Going into the break, CLU was up 40-33. Seven different Kingsmen scored in the first half.

La Verne opened the second half with a few made shots and cut the lead won to six 42-36. Cal Lutheran then went on an 8-0 run and had their biggest lead of 14. The Kingsmen continued to move the ball as four players each scored a basket during the run.

CLU continued to put distance between themselves and La Verne. Chaplin dazzled the crowd with a behind the back pass to Ferreira in the corner, which he nailed to give CLU a 57-40 lead. From the 13:50 minute mark to 9:15, CLU outscored ULV 15-5 and were up by 20. The Kingsmen coasted the rest of the way and defeated La Verne 84-64.

The Kingsmen return home and host Occidental in a SCIAC matchup, Wednesday, at 7 p.m. in Gilbert Arena.    

Box Score: CLU 84, ULV 64
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director