THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's basketball opened the 2023-24 season with a defensive statement as they defeated North Central (IL) 71-63 on Thursday night. 

Four Kingsmen scored in double-digits to lead the attack. Tommy Griffitts recorded a double-double with the team-high in points and rebounds with 15 and 11, respectively. Devon Lewis was next with 14 points, Patrick Renane had 11 in his first game with the Kingsmen, and Desi Burrage had 10. 

"Proud of the guys for fighting after a challenging start," head coach Russell White said. "The effort Tommy Griffitts gave defensively in the second half was incredible and great to see."

It was a clean game for the Kingsmen as they had just three turnovers while dishing out 16 assists. Stephen Davis had the most with six assists and nine points. Riley O'Connor and Lewis were three each. 

The Kingsmen controlled the paint with their defense. Griffitts and Renane led the defense with three blocks each and Susko had one more. Four Kingsmen recorded a steal as they forced the Cardinals into seven turnovers. 

The scoring came from all over the floor as the Kingsmen made 12 three-pointers. Griffitts and Lewis hit three each. Lewis made the first one of the game and what looked to be the one to close out the half. Griffitts added one more before the half, drilling one 10 feet behind the line as the buzzer sounded.

Even with all the good for Cal Lutheran, North Central jumped out to the early lead. The Cardinal led 26-13 with 9:21 left in the half. The Kingsmen used a 23-8 run down the stretch and took a 39-34 lead at the half. 

North Central cut the lead to two, five minutes into the second half making it 49-47, but the Kingsmen answered the run and scored the next eight points to push the lead back to 10. The Kingsmen never looked back as they won the game and started the season 1-0. 

The Kingsmen stay home for their second game of the year and host Puget Sound on Saturday at 3 p.m.