THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Jacob Alonzo was voted the 2022 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Defensive Athlete of the Year and Mason Johnson joined him on the First Team. The All-SCIAC men's basketball teams were announced Wednesday following a vote conducted by the league's member head coaches.

Alonzo earned the program's first-ever Defensive Athlete of the Year award. It is also the first time Cal Lutheran has had two First Team honorees since 2017. This is the sixth time the Purple and Gold landed two players on the First Team. 

Alonzo (Camarillo, Calif) helped the Kingsmen secure the fourth seed in the upcoming postseason tournament after leading the conference in steals and assists per game during the regular season. Alonzo averaged 2.9 steals per outing, finishing 15 SCIAC games with 44 steals highlighted by six games with four-plus steals - twice notching six in a game. The senior was also stellar on the boards, with 56 of his 68 rebounds coming on defense. In addition, Alonzo contributed 15.3 points per game and shot 50.7% from the floor, 33.3% from three-point range, and 88.7% from the free-throw line. He added 94 assists, headlined by a 14-helper effort in a win over Caltech.

Johnson (Oxnard, Calif.) thrived in his first year with the Kingsmen. He led the conference with 19.7 points per game, 452 total points and 25.7 points per 40 minutes. The senior guard scored in double-figures 20 times, 20-plus points 14 times, 25-plus points seven times and had a season-high 29 points. He recorded three double-doubles on the year in points and rebounds. Johnson led the Kingsmen and was 12^th in the conference with 6.1 rebounds per game. He was fourth in total steals (42) and seventh in assists (67). He had a shooting percentage of 45.0 from the field, 22.8 from three-point range and 67.3 from the free throw line. 

The Kingsmen start their run at a SCIAC Tournament championship tonight and host Caltech at 7 p.m. 

SCIAC Release: 2022 Men's Basketball All-Conference
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director