THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Inside the friendly confines of the Gilbert Arena this afternoon, the Cal Lutheran men's basketball team took the court against Whittier in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play, defeating the Poets by a 54-52 margin to return to the win column.

Trailing for the first 14 minutes, CLU pulled within one at 23-22 on a Dan Wade three-pointer and on the ensuing possession a Coby de Laveaga steal led to a Lanaki Apele layup to put the Kingsmen on top at 24-23. The teams would exchange buckets throughout the remainder of the first half and Cal Lutheran held a one-point, 32-31, advantage at the break.

Out of the locker rooms neither team really found a rhythm and the Kingsmen maintained their lead throughout to earn the win and snap a three game skid. Whittier shot slightly better, 33.3 percent, than Cal Lutheran did at 25.8 percent, but the Kingsmen used nine free-throws for six points and the ultimate advantage.

Overall, CLU out rebounded WC 41-32 with 14 offensive boards that the Violet and Gold converted into 10 second chance points while Whittier finished with just two offensive rebounds.

Leading the way today was Wade with 14 players to pace all players while Kellen Birdsall and Jeremy Sulker-Hall notched 12 apiece. Apele came off the bench for a game-high six assists, adding two steals. de Laveaga nabbed a team-leading three steals and Connor McGuire grabbed the most rebounds of any player with 13. Sulker-Hall pulled down nine boards for a near double-double and Birdsall finished with six.

Whittier (7-6, 3-2 SCIAC) was led by 11 points apiece from Andrew Torres and Anthony Martinez and Torres also paced the Poets with seven rebounds, adding three assists and two steals.

Cal Lutheran (6-6, 2-3) has a quick turnaround with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Occidental on Monday, Jan. 18.

Box Score: CLU 54, WC 52
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