THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran defense allowed Whittier to score 57 second half points in Wednesday's 81-46 loss to Whittier. A tie game at halftime turned into the team's most lopsided loss of the season.

Box Score: WC 81, CLU 46 - F

It was a tale of two halves with the first going at the pace that Cal Lutheran desired. The Kingsmen controlled the paint and the glass while slowing down the Poets high octane offense.

Aaron Van Klaveren finished the first half with 14 points and 11 rebounds, providing more than half of the team's production in each category. Counterpart Drew Menez knocked down 3-of-5 from downtown to lead Whittier with nine points, but the rest of the cast went 0-for-5 from deep in the first half.

The Poets second leading scorer this season in Nathan Easterman experienced early foul trouble limiting his minutes. He managed just two points in six first half minutes, but was one of three Whittier players to finish with 11 or more points.

Cal Lutheran did all it could defensively to keep the Whittier offense at bay. The Kingsmen held the Poets, who had averaged over 89 points per game coming into the night, to just 24 first half points and a tie ballgame at intermission.

Whittier's pressure defense paid dividends in the second half and led to several fast break scoring chances and uncontested looks at the basket. The Poets scored 30 points in the paint, 16 off CLU turnovers, and 10 fast break points in the second half alone.

After scoring 24 points in the opening 20 minutes of regulation, the Poets had matched that total just eight minutes into the second period. The team's frantic pace set the tone early in the second half and forced 12 Kingsmen turnovers in the period.

Whittier's second half shooting display included a 22-for-32 performance from the field, highlighted by making 6-of-7 of its 3-point attempts. While the Poets made 9-of-17 from three, the Kingsmen managed to sink just 3-of-23 in regulation.

Menez finished with a team-high 21 points, followed by Greg Preer with 19 and Easterman with 11. Teammate Kelly Johnson finished with a game-high eight assists.

Van Klaveren finished with game-highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds. He shot near perfect from the floor making 10-of-11 shots. Teammate Martin Flowers led the CLU bench with 12 points in 17 minutes.

Whittier accomplished a season sweep of Cal Lutheran for only the second time since the 1990-91 season. The Kingsmen suffered just their second home loss to the Poets during that stretch.

Cal Lutheran (6-12, 2-6 SCIAC) will host La Verne (5-14, 2-6 SCIAC) on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m.