THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Jaden Young, Cody Shen, and Josh DeVore each set career-highs in points as Cal Lutheran (9-10, 4-6 SCIAC) defeated the Whittier Poets (11-7,5-5 SCIAC) 95-89 in Gilbert Arena on Wednesday night. 

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Kingsmen, all of which came in conference. Cal Lutheran keeps their path to the playoffs alive, sitting a game back of the Poets with six games to play in the regular season.

The Kingsmen fell behind 12-11 about five minutes in, in what wound up being Whittier's last lead of the game as a pair of threes from Ryder Mjoen put Cal Lutheran up by five. 

The contest stayed within five for most of the first half before an eight-point run by Cal Lutheran put the Kingsmen up 13, their largest lead of the game. The Poets showed signs of life before the end of the half, getting to within five before a pair of free throws and a three, all from Matthew Verkamp, sent the game to the break with CLU up 45-35. 

The Kingsmen were undeniable from beyond the arc, shooting a blazing 48% (11-23) from three, compared to Whittier's 20% (3-15). Whitter, the SCIAC's top three-point scoring team, was held completely in check by the Kingsmen defense, which has allowed fewer threes than any other team in the conference this season.

The Poets came out of the break firing on all cylinders, going on a 7-0 run and cutting the Cal Lutheran lead back down to three. The momentum seemed to be shifting to Whittier in a big way, however the Kingsmen responded and kept their opponent at bay, eventually stretching the lead back to 13 with just over two minutes to play. 

While the game felt all but put away as the clock ticked below a minute remaining, a 9-1 run by the Poets put the contest within four with 35 seconds to go. 

A few crucial plays, namely a missed Whittier three-pointer and a miraculous snag on an inbound by Verkamp, kept the Poets from an improbable comeback in the waning seconds as the Kingsmen put the contest away 95-89. 

Young, Shen, and DeVore recorded new career highs with 20, 16, and 12 points respectively. Verkamp added 20 points and nine rebounds, while Andrew Pipersburgh provided a dominant presence under the rim with 14 total rebounds. 

Cal Lutheran is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 31 as they battle the No. 7 Redlands Bulldogs at 2 p.m. in Gilbert Arena.