THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — California Lutheran's Grace Derksen and Natalie Ruhl each scored 15 points to lead the Regals past the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, 63-52, Thursday on day one of the California Lutheran Tournament inside Gilbert Arena.
The Regals improved to 7-3 and the Lutes dropped to 3-6. Cal Lutheran has now won two games in a row.
Both Derksen and Ruhl had an efficient shooting night in the win. Derksen was 7-for-11 and made one free throw for her 15 points. She added four rebounds and one assist. Ruhl shot 4-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three-point range, and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line to tally her 15. Her night also included three rebounds, three steals and one assist.
Kiana Gray was the third Regal in double-digits as she scored 13 points and added a team-high's with six rebounds and four assists. Jade Jordan came off the bench to score eight points and hit two crucial three-pointers.
The Regals had it going for all spots on the court as they shot 44.4-percent from the field and 40-percent from three-point range.
Scoring didn't come easy at the start of the game and the Regals only led 8-6 with 3:08 left in the first quarter. The score was tied four times in the first. Pacific Lutheran went on a 6-2 run to end the first and led 14-10.
Derksen scored the first four points of the second quarter for the Regals and the score was tied up at 14. With the score tied at 16, CLU went on a 8-2 run and took a 24-18 lead. The Lutes continued to chip away at the lead and get it back down to two, 26-24. The tams went back and forth in scoring and the Regals were up 33-29 at the half.
In the second half, CLU opened up the lead as the Regals were up 41-33 after Rylie Wada hit a three-pointer. More Regals started to step up. After PLU cut into the deficit at 43-39, Kailee Yan answered with a deep three. At the end of the third, CLU led 46-39.
At the start of the fourth, Jordan hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 10. The Reglas kept putting up the points and had their biggest lead at 61-43 with 3:47 left in the game. The Lutes didn't have an answer for the Regals and CLU walked away with a 63-52 victory.
Cal Lutheran is back at it Friday as they host Buena Vista at 4 p.m. inside Gilbert Arena.
Box Score: CLU 63, PLU 52
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
