LA VERNE, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran men's basketball team was outscored 45-29 in the second half as the La Verne Leopards defeated the Kingsmen 68-55 on Wednesday night.
It was the second straight win for the Leopards (2-13, 2-5 SCIAC) as they gave the Kingsmen their fifth straight loss (2-14, 1-7 SCIAC).
Cal Lutheran had a cold shooting night from three-point range and were 3-of-17 (17.6-percent) while La Verne was 7-of-17 (41.2-percent). The Leopards also took care of the Kingsmen on the boards and outrebounded them 39-26.
Cal Lutheran opened the game on a big run to start the game. Being up 6-3, the Kingsmen used an 8-0 run and took a 14-3 lead as four different players scored.
La Verne cut back onto the lead and took its first lead of the game at 21-19 with 4:09 left in the half. The Kingsmen used another run, this one 7-2, as CLU took a 26-23 lead into the break.
The game turned in the second half as ULV opened with a big run. The Leopards outscored the Kingsmen 16 to 7 to in the first seven minutes of the second half and were up 39-33.
Cal Lutheran fought back and cut the lead to one-point, 44-43, with just nine minutes left in the game. However, a 13-4 run by the Leopards made the difference down the stretch as ULV jumped out to a 57-47 lead with 3:49 remaining. La Verne never looked back as the Kingsmen fell 68-55.
Cole Thomas led the Kingsmen with 10 points and Jarrett Powers and Palmer Chaplin added nine each. Thomas also had a team-high seven rebounds and Chaplin tallied six and four assists. Logan McCullough showed defensive strength and recorded three steals and three defensive rebounds.
The Kingsmen face a non-conference opponent before returning to SCIAC play as Cal Lutheran host UC Santa Cruz on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Box Score: ULV 68, CLU 55
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director