THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cole Thomas scored a team-high 13 points and added six rebounds, but the Cal Lutheran men's basketball team dropped its final game of the CLU Holiday Classic, 66-49, to the Messiah Falcons on Monday afternoon.
Palmer Chaplin was named to the All-Tournament team as he showcased an all-around game of six points, four steals, four rebounds and three assists.
Thomas saw his first action with the team on Dec. 1 after sitting out the first part of the season due to an injury. During the six-game span in which he has returned, he has shot an outstanding 54-percent from the field.
Lachlan Hannemann joined Thomas in double-digits but had an off-shooting night as he posted 10 points on 2-of-8 from three-point range and 4-of-15 from the field. He tied with Chaplin for the most assists on the team with three.
Charlie Lee was next with seven points and four rebounds and Connor Cole added six points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench.
The Kingsmen suffered a cold-shooting night and were 18-of-59 (30.5-percent) from the field and 4-for-20 (20-percent) from three. The Purple and Gold were outrebounded 47 to 31 and the bench was outscored 24 to 9.
Messiah opened up a 9-4 lead four minutes into the game and CLU answered to cut the lead to two after a Thomas layup made it 13-11. Just over a minute later, Brooks Mallory drilled a three and the score was knotted at 14.
The Falcons were right there with back-to-back three's as they held and continued to increase a lead over the rest of the half. At the break, Messiah took a 37-28 lead to the locker room.
Messiah opened the second half with a 5-0 run and took a double-digit lead going up 42-28. The Falcons never let the Kingsmen back within 10 points and won the game 66-49.
Cal Lutheran (1-9) continues the season on the road with Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The Kingsmen travel to Redlands on Saturday for a matchup at 2 p.m.
Box Score: MC 66, CLU 49
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
