THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's basketball marches on after defeating Whittier 90-89 in a whirlwind, back-and-forth affair on Friday night. 

A contest that saw five ties and sixteen lead changes, both season-highs, the Kingsmen were tested in a way they haven't really been all season. 

The highly-anticipated battle between Devon Lewis, the recently crowned SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year, and Aamari Smith, the Poets' star all-conference selection who led Division III in points per game, lived up to the hype as each dropped over 30 points. Ultimately, it was Lewis' heroics that prevailed to send the Kingsmen to the tournament championship. 

It was a good night for both squads from the field, each averaging 47%, and a busy one at the free-throw line with 48 combined and each team only missing two. 

Gilbert Arena had a different type of environment from the jump, by far their fullest and loudest of the season. While Cal Lutheran fans packed both sides, Whittier traveled and made some noise too. 

It was a tough start for both teams, as the game saw a collective five missed shots before Tommy Griffitts cashed a three to get the scoring started almost two minutes in. It was all Griffitts early, as he scored 13 of the Kingsmen's first 17 points. 

After an 11-0 run put Whittier in front, the Kingsmen matched with 10 unanswered of their own, including eight-straight by Devon Lewis. The Kingsmen would be able to keep the Poets at bay for the rest of the half, going into the break up by nine. 

Cal Lu caught fire in the first half, shooting 61% (20-33) from the field and 50% (5-10) from three. 

A 19-9 Whittier run to start the second half was capped off by a contested layup, which gave the Poets the lead at the 15-minute mark. After that, neither team would lead by more than five for the duration of the contest.

The Kingsmen got cold at the wrong time, missing five field-goal attempts in a row between the 3:49 and 0:53 marks which allowed Smith to score 10 consecutive Whittier points, putting the Poets ahead by one with inside a minute to play. 

A Jake Martin board set Lewis up to take the game-winning shot from about the free-throw line, but it didn't land, allowing Whittier to get the rebound and forcing Cal Lu to foul. Only one of the two free-throws would convert for the Poets, putting the score at 89-87 Whittier with just six seconds left.

Cal Lutheran would take it down to their side of the court and call a timeout, allowing the Kingsmen to reset in their territory. With four seconds on the clock, Stephen Davis inbounded to Lewis who was wide open in the corner after a failed steal attempt by the Poets.

Lewis took the three with two seconds left, and the Gilbert crowd held a collective breath as the Cal Lu season sat on the shoulders of one shot. It landed, sending the arena absolutely ballistic.

The contest was a dramatic shift from the two teams' last matchup, when the Kingsmen defeated Whittier by 20 on Senior Night. Head Coach Russell White said the team felt this shift, and they made all the necessary adjustments. 

"I give Whittier a lot of credit for adjusting from last game," White said. "Sometimes a team is lucky enough to have a player that isn't afraid of the moment and the rest of the team gets to enjoy the show," White said of Lewis. 

The Kingsmen will take on 3-seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Gilbert Arena on Sunday, March 2 for the SCIAC crown. 

Key Stats:
Devon Lewis - 32 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, GW 3-Pointer
Tommy Griffitts - 19 PTS, 6 REB, 3 BLK
Stephen Davis - 14 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST