HOUSTON, Tex. – Cal Lutheran's big season came to an end on Friday, as the Kingsmen lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament 70-65.

Cal Lutheran's woes from beyond the arc continued, shooting 20% (7-35) from the three.

It was a nice day for sophomore Matthew Verkamp, who tallied 13 points. This marks the fifth time he's eclipsed double-digits this season. 

It was a dry game for both squads throughout most of the first half, as the Kingsmen (21-4, 14-2) were up just 16-14 with 6:29 remaining. Cal Lutheran shot 50% (4-8) from the field and 10% (1-10) from the three, while Hardin-Simmons (16-9, 8-0) shot 44% (7-16) and 0-5 respectively. 

Things were shaping up going halftime, as the Kingsmen were down by just two points with two seconds left on the clock before a Cal Lu foul sent the Cowboys to the line. HSU would hit both to extend their lead to four with only one second remaining. The Kingsmen inbounded from under their own basket, heaving it to half-court where it would be intercepted by Hardin-Simmons. The Cowboys would then chuck it up, cashing it to send the game to the break with Cal Lutheran down by seven. 

Coming out of the half, Hardin-Simmons would convert seven quick points, extending its run to 14-0 stretching back to the end of the first. A three would increase the HSU lead to 15, its biggest of the game. 

Six points from senior Stephen Davis would help Cal Lu on an 11-4 run to cut the lead to eight, before the Cowboys would extend it right back to 12. This was a running theme for the Kingsmen, who each time they chipped away would give the points right back.

The Kingsmen would cut the lead to fewer than ten with about 10:30 left to play, and would never trail by more than ten for the remainder of the game. However, they would never cut it to more than four. 

With just inside two minutes to play, the Cal Lu would cut the lead to just five, before Hardin-Simmons converted five unanswered free throws in a fifty-second span to extend the lead back to ten. Free throws were one of the biggest factors in the Cowboy's win, as they outscored the Kingsmen 17-10. 

Two quick CLU baskets would cut the lead back to five with inside ten seconds to play, before a quick foul on the Cowboys would send them to the line. They would get their own rebound, letting the clock run out to move them on to the round of 32.

The Kingsmen end the year at 22-6 overall and 14-2 in conference play, and have completed their third-straight NCAA postseason appearance.

Key Stats:
Devon Lewis - 16 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL
Matthew Verkamp - 13 PTS, 3 REB, 2 STL
Stephen Davis - 13 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL
Jake Martin - 10 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL

Postgame Presser:
Click the link above to watch the postgame press conference featuring Russell White and Devon Lewis.