PASADENA, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's basketball narrowly lost to the Caltech Beavers 57-54 on Saturday afternoon. This brings the Kingsmen's overall record to 9-11 and their conference record to 6-6.
The Kingsmen had 20 rebounds and 30 points in the paint. Cal Lutheran's charge was led by Jake Martin, who scored 13 points, and followed by Ze'ev Remer and Tommy Griffitts, with 10 points each.
It was a tough day from three-point range for the Kingsmen as they were 3-21 from deep for 14.3-percent. The Beavers also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Kingsmen 42-20.
The Kingsmen opened the first half with a layup by Griffitts. The Beavers quickly overtook them as they took an early 7-2 lead. Both defenses held strong as the Kingsmen and Beavers stayed in a deadlock for nearly three minutes. The Kingsmen broke through first as they tried to build some momentum, 7-6, but the Beavers held strong and went up 11-6.
The Kingsmen were finally able tto gather some momentum and went up 18-11. The Beavers refused to stay down as they began to make a comeback and brought the score to 18-16. The Kingsmen didn't let them continue undisturbed as both teams traded shots. The Kingsmen had a 25-23 lead at the break.
Caltech returned reinvigorated as the Beavers opened the second half, 25-25. The Kingsmen remained strong as they traded shots with Caltech, 29-27, before Cal Lutheran pulled ahead, 35-27. Both teams then entered a nearly three minute standstill before the Beavers broke through, 35-30. Caltech began to make a comeback as they surpassed the Kingsmen, 38-35. Both teams found themselves in another deadlock before the Kingsmen scored. Cal Lutheran was quick to take back the lead from Caltech as they carried their score to 42-39.
The Beavers tried to make a comeback, but the Kingsmen made sure to keep them down, 44-41. Both teams traded shots as the Beavers stayed narrowly behind the Kingsmen, 48-47. The Beavers then managed to take the lead within the last two minutes, 53-51. The Kingsmen tried to catch up, 55-54, but the Beavers held on and won the game 57-54.
The Kingsmen's next game will be at La Verne on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.
Box Score: CIT 57, CLU 54
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