LOS ANGELES — The Cal Lutheran men's basketball team found themselves in a quick hole and weren't able to overcome early shooting woes as the Occidental Tigers defeated the Kingsmen 84-64 Saturday afternoon.
The Kingsmen suffered their third-straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) loss and dropped to 1-4 in SCIAC play. Cal Lutheran is now 3-10 on the year. Occidental improved to 14-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
It was a clean game on both sides as they only had six turnovers apiece. Both teams were also 13-17 from the free throw line for a percentage of 76.5. The Kingsmen were 41.8-percent from the field, but the Tigers had the upper-hand and shot 56.7.
Austin Cole was the top scorer for the Kingsmen and put up 18 points. He made 9 of his 11 free throws. Kyle Ferreira was the second Kingsmen in double-digits as he added 10. He had a team high seven rebounds. The duo had a quiet game though as they went 7-for-25 from the field.
Michael Wadsworth chipped in with eight points while Cole Thomas and Jared Wulbrun both added six. Wadsworth was second on the team with six rebounds.
The Tigers jumped all over the Kingsmen and scored the first 14 points of the game. Cal Lutheran weathered the storm over the next minutes and cut the lead in half at 14-7. OXY answered with another run of its own and increased the lead to 23-7. The Tigers kept the points coming in bunches and had a 43-26 lead at the half. Occidental kept the pressure on in the second half and didn't let up. The Tigers won the contest with a final score of 84-64.
Cal Lutheran looks to break its three-game losing streak at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Kingsmen will take on the Stags in Claremont, Calif., Monday at 7 p.m.
Box Score: OXY 84, CLU 64
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
