written by Liam Flenniken

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Devon Lewis cashed 31 points but it wasn't enough as Cal Lutheran dropped its home opener 81-76 against Whitworth University on Thursday night. 

Lewis did it all for the Kingsmen tonight, adding four rebounds, four assists, and four steals in 31 minutes on the floor. Lewis shot 55% (12-22) from the field and 44% (4-9) from beyond the three-point line. 

When asked about the team's performance as a whole, Lewis said, "We weren't there mentally on defense with back doors and stuff like that, it's little things in crunch time that resulted in the loss for us."

Head coach Russell White said that he liked the determination from his squad, as they cut their nine point halftime deficit to one within minutes, but that their first half mistakes were too costly. 

"We didn't quit, but we need to play better early and do the right things," White said. 

It was a back-and-forth bout in the opening dozen minutes, with two ties and seven lead changes in that span. 

Lewis got the scoring started, cashing a three on the first Kingsmen possession. 

With 14 minutes left in the first half, Cal Lutheran took a 12-10 lead, which would turn out to be their final lead of the game. 

The Kingsmen kept it close, trailing by one after the first six minutes before Whitworth went on a 12-2 run to make it 32-21, after which the Pirates never looked back. 

Coming out of the half, Cal Lutheran came out firing, as a few flashy plays had the squad right back in it. Jake Martin converted a corner three off a no-look pass from Ryan Hoffman; minutes later, Desi Burrage nabbed a breakaway steal, which he took himself across the court for a layup. 

It ultimately wouldn't be enough, as the Kingsmen were never quite able to top the Pirates. 

Cal Lutheran is back in action next Saturday, November 30, versus UC Santa Barbara at 6:30 p.m. in Gilbert Arena. 

Key Stats:
Devon Lewis - 31 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL
Jake Martin - 11 PTS, 4 AST
Matthew Verkamp - 9 PTS, 4 REB