THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — California Lutheran senior KJ Moffett scored 17 points as the Kingsmen basketball team took down La Verne 79-77 Tuesday on senior night in Gilbert Arena.
The Kingsmen (9-15, 6-10 SCIAC) finished the 2018 season on a win. Moffett made key plays down the stretch. In his final game, he filled that stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.
Austin Cole led the Violet and Gold with 30 points. It is the second time this season he has scored at least 30 points in a game. He was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
Kyle Ferreira was the second leading scorer for the Kingsmen. He scored 19 points and added six rebounds and four assists.
Connor Cole led Cal Lutheran on the boards and had a game-high nine rebounds. Palmer Chaplin had three assists and two steals.
La Verne was in charge early and had a 12-6 lead. The Leopards had their biggest lead of the game at 19-11. The Kingsmen fought back and eventually tied it up at 26 all. CLU had its first lead of the game as Moffett made a layup to make the score 34-32. A. Cole made a jumpshot with eight seconds left in the half and the Kingsmen had a 43-38 lead.
Cal Lutheran had its biggest lead of the game as Ferreira made a layup with 16:07 left in the game. CLU was up 57-44. La Verne continued to grind and cut the deficit to single digits. Every time La Verne would get close, CLU would go a run and extend the lead. With 1:03 left in the game, the Leopards tied up the game at 77. With 17 seconds left, A. Cole hit a fadaway jump shot and CLU took a 79-77 lead. Cal Lutheran's defense prevailed in the end as La Verne had to force a deep three at the end of the game. The shot missed and CLU won 79-77.
The Kingsmen finished 2018 with a final record of 9-15 and 6-10 in conference play.
Box Score: CLU 79, ULV 77
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
