THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran used team defense and solid shooting to halt the six-game win streak of Concordia (Wisc.) inside Gilbert Arena on Sunday afternoon by a 70-60 margin. Greg Grimm scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half erasing a halftime deficit.
Box Score: CLU 70, CUW 60 – F
Prior to 2011 the Kingsmen held opponents to only 57 points in their four victories this season, while giving up over 75 per game in five losses. With the Falcons soaring high and averaging over 84 points per game the CLU defense would be challenged again for the third straight contest by a high-scoring offensive squad.
Junior point guard Xavier Walton equaled his season-highs with six points and seven assists, along with a career-high seven rebounds as Cal Lutheran started the New Year with a victory. It was a team effort on the defensive side as the Kingsmen held the Falcons to a season-low 60 points.
Cal Lutheran trailed by only five at the half after holding Concordia to just 29 first half points. The Kingsmen held Falcons leading scorer Edward Newton-Kemp, who averages nearly 20 points per game, to only five in the opening period.
However the senior guard got started early following intermission and knocked down back-to-back triples to open the second half. He finished with a team-high 19 points and propelled the Falcons to its largest lead of nine early in the second half.
Grimm countered with 15 points in the second half with several teammates contributing key plays at crucial times.
Jayvaughn Nettles knocked down a pair of three-pointers, the first during a 9-0 scoring run that pulled the Kingsmen even after trailing by its biggest margin. The second came after a steal that gave Cal Lutheran its first lead in over 16 minutes at 48-46.
The hosts would not trail the rest of the way following back-to-back three's from Grimm and two of Collin Knudsen's 11 points that gave CLU an eight point cushion.
Early second half foul trouble for the Falcons forced some of their key offensive components to the bench and put the Kingsmen at the free throw line 16 times in the period.
Aaron Fished was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line with all coming in the second half. In a tightly contested game Cal Lutheran went 18-for-20 in the game for its best performance of the season.
Aaron Van Klaveren grabbed eight defensive rebounds and 10 overall to lead all players, and was a major factor in limiting Concordia to just six second change points.
Cal Lutheran (5-5) will host No. 22 Chapman (9-1) on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. It will be the final non-conference contest for the Kingsmen heading into their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener at Redlands on Saturday, Jan. 8.