Naperville, Ill. — The California Lutheran University men's basketball team took to the road showed they have what it takes to finish tight games with an 80-79 win over the Cardinals of North Central College.

Despite being a tight game throughout, the Kingsmen were forced to show their grit and determination playing from behind for eighty percent of the game.

North Central finished the first half with a 28-16 rebound advantage and a 35-30 lead.

Cal Lutheran stepped up their physical presence in the second half and took advantage of their depth and hustle to turn defense into offense. The first half's rebound deficit became a 16-14 advantage. The work on the boards mirrored the effort and pace as the Kingsmen were able to create 20 points off turnovers in the second half.

In the closing minutes of the game, the Kingsmen were down 75-79. Senior point guard Jacob Alonzo found junior Logan McCullough for a clutch three to make it 78-79 with 53 seconds left.

A stop on the defensive end gave the Kingsmen the ball and a chance. Out of a timeout, team point leader Mason Johnson was able to draw a foul and head to the line for two free throws with 5 seconds left. Johnson made the first for the tie and, after a North Central timeout, made the second to put the Kingsmen ahead

The Kingsmen held strong defending the Cardinal's last second attempt and took their first win of the season.

Cal Lutheran showed their depth with the top three point scorers coming off the bench. Mason Johnson finished with 21, Jacob Alonzo had 16, and freshman Jake Martin had 12 in his collegiate debut.

The Kingsmen will be back on the court in Illinois on Friday to take on Illinois Tech at 5:30pm.

Box Score: CLU 80, NCC 79
CLU Instagram: @clusports
Sport IG: @cluhoops
CLU Twitter: @CLUSports
Sport Twitter: @CLUmBasketball
CLU Facebook: @clusports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3

Release by Steven Lohn, Assistant Sports Information Director