THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's basketball (4-2, 0-0 SCIAC) overcame a sluggish start to defeat George Fox (1-4, 0-0 NWC) on Friday evening in Gilbert Arena by a score of 99-86. Makaio Morphy, Aidan Crawford, Matthew Verkamp, Jaden Young, and Josh DeVore each scored double-digit points as the Kingsmen used a strong second half to break away from the Bruins.

The Kingsmen jumped out to an early 9-3 lead behind five points and an assist from Ryder Mjoen. The next nine minutes were an offensive struggle for Cal Lutheran, and the Bruins were able to take a 21-16 lead after a three-pointer.

A putback by Crawford followed by a no-look dime from Tony Angelo to a cutting Verkamp kept Cal Lutheran within striking distance, and then Crawford assisted Morphy on two straight buckets to cut the Bruins' lead to 28-25. George Fox would score the next seven points to take a 10-point lead.

Cal Lutheran would close out the opening half on an 18-8 run in the final five minutes, fueled by nine points from Young. A putback from Verkamp tied the game at 45-45 before the break.

Despite shooting just 43.6% from the field and 31.3% from three, compared to George Fox's 47.1% from the field and 50.0% from three, Cal Lutheran was able to control the boards and stop the bleeding.

Both teams were trading blows at the beginning of the second half, and eight points in a two-minute span from Josh DeVore gave the Kingsmen some momentum. A pair of steals by Verkamp led to consecutive breakaway layups, putting Cal Lutheran up 61-56 at the 14-minute mark.

A 7-0 Bruins run gave them the lead again, but Verkamp kept it going with a layup and a three, both set up by Mjoen. George Fox then managed an and-one layup but missed the foul shot, and DeVore responded by finishing through contact and converting an and-one for Cal Lutheran. The Bruins made a jumper to retake the lead at 70-69, their final lead of the game.

The Kingsmen would go 4/4 on their ensuing four shots, all beyond the three-point arc. Angelo knocked in the first one off an assist from Verkamp, then Verkamp buried another after Angelo returned the favor. Crawford netted back-to-back threes to give Cal Lutheran a commanding 81-72 lead with under eight minutes remaining.

Five-straight points by Morphy, combined with quality defensive possessions, propelled the Kingsmen to an 86-73 advantage with five minutes left. It proved to be too large of a hole for George Fox to dig itself out of, and Cal Lutheran would go on to win 99-86.

Morphy scored a game-high 20 points (7/14 FG, 3/6 3FG) and added three steals. Crawford collected 18 points (7/14 FG, 3/7 3FG) and four assists. Verkamp notched 17 points (7/12 FG, 3/5 3FG), eight boards, and three steals. Young dropped an aggressive 15 points (4/4 FT), eight rebounds, and five assists. DeVore scored 11 points (4/8 FG, 2/4 3FG, 1/1 FT).

Camden Hyde corralled eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end. The Kingsmen totaled 22 offensive rebounds in the game, which led to 21 second-chance points.

Angelo played an uber-efficient game with five points (2/2 FG, 1/1 3FG), a team-high six assists, three rebounds, a block, and two steals in just 17 minutes. Mjoen contributed five assists of his own.

Cal Lutheran will begin SCIAC play this Wednesday on the road at Whittier at 7pm.