THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — No. 4 California Lutheran University men's basketball advanced past No. 5 Caltech in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and will take on top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer in the semifinals Friday at 7 p.m.
The Kingsmen defeated the Beavers for the fourth time this year, outlasting them 74-66. Cal Lutheran went 22-for-26 from the free throw line for a percentage of 84.6. On the other side, Caltech was 5-for-10.
Jacob Alonzo, Mason Johnson, Desi Burrage and Rile O'Connor all scored in double-digits and Ryan Grande came off the bench to add eight, including two, clutch three-pointers.
Alonzo totaled 17 points, making eight of his 10 free throws, and added three rebounds, two steals and two assists. Johnson was right behind him with 15 points, while leading the team with four assists and three steals.
Burrage tallied 10 points and was two-for-three three-point range and O'Connor also scored 10 points, while going eight-for-nine from the free throw line.
Caltech got off to a quick start and led 9-4 early on. The Kingsmen had early shooting woes but were kept in the game by their defense. In the first 12 minutes, there were four ties and four lead changes. The teams continued to go back and forth, and then Cal Lutheran made its move.
With Caltech up 28-26 with 4:17 left in the half, the Kingsmen went on a 10-0 run and had a 36-28 lead at the break. Alonzo had a layup and jump shot; Johnson made a layup and O'Connor made two free throws and then hit a jump shot with one second left.
Cal Lutheran weathered every storm the Beavers threw at them in the second half, hitting big shot after big shot. There was a three from Johnson early in the half. When Caltech cut the lead to four, Alonzo answered with a three.
Caltech continued to keep it close and cut the lead to four again, this time 60-56 with 3:10 left. Grande then drilled one of his three-pointers to push it back to a three-possession game.
The Kingsmen made their free throws down the stretch and walked off the court of Gilbert Arena and into the semis of the SCIAC Tournament.
Box Score: CLU 74, CIT 66
CLU Instagram: @clusports
Sport IG: @cluhoops
CLU Twitter: @CLUSports
Sport Twitter: @CLUmBasketball
CLU Facebook: @clusports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3
Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
July 1, 2022
Milligan Named Men’s Basketball Associate Head Coach
March 16, 2022
Johnson Selected D3hoops.com Second Team All-Region
February 24, 2022
Kingsmen Advance to Semis, Face Pomona-Pitzer
February 22, 2022
Kingsmen Host Beavers to Open SCIAC Tournament
February 19, 2022
Kingsmen End Regular Season On 10-Point Win
February 17, 2022
Stags Even Season Series with Kingsmen
February 12, 2022
Kingsmen Honors Seniors Before Redlands
February 10, 2022
Kingsmen Defense Forces Beavers into 24 Turnovers in 88-64 Win
February 8, 2022
Kingsmen Hit Century Mark, Dominate Leopards
February 5, 2022
Kingsmen Unable To Outlast Sagehens; Alonzo Puts Up 26 Points
February 3, 2022
Kingsmen Push Win Streak to Four; Hold On Against Occidental
January 27, 2022
Kingsmen Score 50 in Second Half, Handle Leopards at Home
January 26, 2022
Cal Lutheran Honoring First Men’s Basketball Team on Saturday
January 19, 2022
Kingsmen Deliver Double-Digit Win; Johnson Scores 21 Points
January 18, 2022
Sagehens Outlast Kingsmen
January 15, 2022
Kingsmen Unable To Hold Onto Lead; Silenced By Bulldogs
January 13, 2022
Kingsmen Hand Stags First SCIAC Loss; Defeat CMS 78-65
December 28, 2021
Second Half Comeback Falls Short; Lewis Scores Career-High 18
December 22, 2021
New Schedule for Kingsmen Classic; Benedictine (Ill.) Out
December 20, 2021
Johnson Names SCIAC Men’s Basketball Offensive Athlete of the Week
December 17, 2021
Johnson Buries 28 Points; Alonzo Records A Double Double
December 4, 2021
Panthers Use Second-Half Run to Get Past Kingsmen
December 2, 2021
Kingsmen Stay Undefeated, Open Conference Play With Win
November 30, 2021
Kingsmen Receiving Votes in First D3hoops.com Poll
November 27, 2021
Kingsmen Move to 6-0; Take Down UC Santa Cruz 80-62
November 21, 2021
Kingsmen Score 61 First-Half Points, Cruise to 5-0 in Home Opener
November 14, 2021
Kingsmen Remain Undefeated After 3 Games In Illinois
November 12, 2021
Kingsmen Improve to 2-0 with Win Over Illinois Tech
November 10, 2021
Kingsmen Show Depth and Grit with 80-79 Win to Open Season
October 11, 2021
Kingsmen Basketball Ready to Tip-Off 2021-22 Season