LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's basketball got back in the win column, taking care of Occidental 86-77 on Tuesday night. 

It was a rare Tuesday game for the Kingsmen, a result of the L.A. wildfires forcing the two teams' matchup last month to be rescheduled.

The second matchup in 10 between these teams, Cal Lu (18-4, 11-2) again got off to a slow start; with this one seeing neither team lead by more than six the entire first half. 

The first would end with a Kingsmen advantage by just a pair thanks to two late free throws by Matt Verkamp. 

The Tigers (6-13, 3-9) got the ball with a chance to put points on the board inside a minute left, but strong Kingsmen defense made sure they were up when the first-half clock read triple zeros. 

The Kingsmen would set the tone coming out of the break, scoring the first 10 points of the second half. 

Head Coach Russell White pointed to this stretch as the marquee of the game, "Strong start to the second half on both ends was the key to the game. Happy with the guys' response," White said. 

From then on, the Tigers were held at arms distance, only pulling within single digits twice in the second half. 

Shots were falling all game from all distances for the Kingsmen, who converted an even 50% (29-58) from the field and 41% (19-30) from beyond the arc. 

Verkamp totaled 13 points, the second-highest mark in a game during his young career. Verkamp has been nothing short of a breakout for the Kingsmen this season, who is averaging the most minutes per game of any non-senior this season. 

The Kingsmen are back in Gilbert Arena at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 15 as they take on the Whittier Poets. 

Key Stats:
Devon Lewis - 22 PTS, 1 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL
Nick Attanasio - 14 PTS, 5 REB
Matthew Verkamp - 13 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST