LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A big afternoon from guards junior Natalie Ruhl, sophomore Kailee Yan and freshman Haley Tyrell led the Cal Lutheran Regals to a 56-47 victory over the Occidental Tigers, Saturday afternoon. The trio combined to put up 36 of the team's points, each picking up two treys apiece.
Ruhl led the Regals with her seventh double-digit game of the season, picking up 15 points and tying her second-highest season point total. Tyrell tacked on an additional 12 points while coming just one rebound short of a double-double with nine. Yan rounds out the trio with nine points, her best offensive performance of the new year. As a whole, the team outshot Occidental 31.6 percent to 28.1 in field goals and 33.3 percent to 15.0 percent in three pointers.
Though Occidental knocked down the first points of the contest just 36 seconds into the contest, it would be their only lead of whole game. Ruhl responded with a deep three on Cal Lutheran's next possession, and the Regals did not lose the lead the remainder the afternoon. By the end of the first, the team had pulled away for a 25-11 lead after a 17-1 scoring run to close the period.
The lead only continued to build in the second quarter as the Regals picked up their largest advantage of 19 points with 7:11 to play in the first half. Up 31-12, the team endured their longest scoring drought of the game, picking up just four points off free throws from Ruhl and Tyrell to end the period.
However, up 25-21 entering the back half of the contest, the Regals continued to cruise through the second half, and though a series of shots late in the fourth brought the Tigers back within a single-digit deficit, the run was too little too late.
The Tigers were led by 12 points from Emily Leonard and 10 from Raveen Dhiman, but they could not get past the Cal Lutheran defense who held Occidental to just 3-20 (15.0%) from behind the arc and 18-64 (28.1%) from the floor.
The 56-47 victory moves Cal Lutheran to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Regals now make the quick turnaround to Monday night's conference matchup against Pomona-Pitzer at 7 p.m. inside Gilbert Arena.
Box Score: CLU 56, OXY 47
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Release by Christy Effendie, Assistant Sports Information Director