THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen kept their playoff hopes alive, shooting 56.9-percent from the field, as they took down the La Verne Leopards 89-53 Wednesday night in Gilbert Arena.
CLU jumped Chapman and moved into the sixth spot in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings with a record of 5-7 (7-14 overall). Redlands is currently fourth at 6-6 and Whittier is fifth at 6-7. Cal Lutheran plays at Redlands on Feb. 13 and ends the regular season at Whittier on Feb. 19.
Eleven different Kingsmen scored, the most in any game this season, led by Kyle Ferreira. The reigning SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Week poured in 28 points while shooting 11-of-17 from the field. He was efficient all over the court and recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 13 boards and added six assists.
Austin Cole and Jared Wulbrun made it three Kingsmen in double-digits. Cole tallied 17 points with four rebounds while Wulbrun tallied 11 points, going 3-of-4 from three-point range, and two boards.
Palmer Chaplin was one-point shy of double-digits and tied with Ferreira for the team-high in assists with six. Also scoring for the Kingsmen was Tyler Brabant (six), Charlie Lee (five), Caleb Thomas (four), Cole Thomas (three), Brandon Danziger (two), Tre'an Harrill (two), and Jarrett Powers (two).
The Kingsmen were impressive in several different aspects on the night. On top of shooting 56.9-percent from the field, they were also 41.7-percent from three-point range and 83.3-percent from the free throw line. They moved the ball around well and had 23 assists, while only committing seven turnovers, while forcing La Verne into six turnovers. Powers and Chaplin led the defense three and two steals, respectively.
Cal Lutheran jumped out to the quick lead and went up 15-8 after a Chaplin three. Five Kingsmen scored in the first 10 minutes and a three from Wulbrun made it 25-15 midway through the first half. CLU kept the distance and had a 47-27 lead going into the locker room.
The Kingsmen didn't let up in the second half. CLU doubled up ULV as Cole made a jump shot to push the lead to 60-30 with 14:52 left in the game. With 4:02 remianing, and CLU up 80-45, the Kingsmen reserves got some experience. Cal Lutheran earned a much needed win as they looked to keep pace for the final spots in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.
The Kingsmen look for an upset in their next game. Cal Lutheran will be at the top team in the SCIAC, Pomona-Pitzer, Saturday night with the tipoff set for 7 p.m.
Interview with Ferreira and Wulbrun:
Box Score: CLU 89, ULV 53
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
