LOS ANGELES, Calif. - On the road tonight the Cal Lutheran men's basketball team took down Occidental, 83-70, to complete a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) sweep of the Tigers in 2013-14.
Ten first-half points from Arik Smith on 5-for-6 shooting propelled the Kingsmen to a 34-28 halftime advantage before the point guard poured in 16 more in the final 20 minutes to lead all players with 26 points. Overall, the junior was 10-for-14 from the floor, going 6-for-7 at the charity stripe while also contributing with an assist a steal and a team-leading three blocks.
Joining Smith with more than 20 points tonight was Coltrane Powdrill who not only scored 22, but recorded team-highs with four assists and seven rebounds. He added both a pair of steals and blocks in the win as well.
Also reaching double figures tonight were Jeremy Sulker-Hall and Corey Quintana. Sulker-Hall came off the bench for 11 on 5-for-9 shooting and Quintana, who won the tip-off for CLU, shot 50 percent from the floor for 10 points on the night.
CLU grabbed 34 rebounds in the game. Quintana came down with six and the trio of Smith, Sulker-Hall and Guy Lynott each nabbed five. Defensively, Lynott also recorded a pair of steals.
Michael Palmer knocked down the first bucket of the night from behind the arc, giving the Kingsmen an early 3-0 advantage. The lead would change hands numerous times in the first half, but when Quintana connected for a three-pointer on an assist from Powdrill at the 4:53 mark and Steven Davis came up with a steal on the ensuing possession that was finished off with a Collin Knudsen layup Cal Lutheran took control of the momentum for the remainder of the evening.
In the second half, CLU would maintain a comfortable lead.
Occidental (7-10, 3-6 SCIAC) drops well below .500 in league play. Tonight the Tigers got a team-high 22 points and game-high 12 rebounds from Andrew Johnson, who also added three blocks. Kory Hamane and Joe Compagno chipped in with 15 and 13 points apiece, respectively.
Cal Lutheran (15-4, 6-4 SCIAC) returns home to the Gilbert Arena for the next two games. The first is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1 at 5:00 p.m. against second place Pomona-Pitzer, which will tip-off a double header with the women's team.
Box Score: CLU 83, OXY 70
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