written by Liam Flenniken

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's basketball survived a late comeback as they held off Lewis & Clark 83-79 on Friday afternoon.                              

It was another monster game for Devon Lewis in a string of monster games, as the senior tallied 41 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. It was Lewis' fourth game of at least 30 points this season and his second-straight game of over 40 points. Lewis is the first Kingsmen player to score 40+ points in back-to-back games since at least 2006. 

It was a dominant first half for the Kingsmen, who scored the game's first eight points. They would lead by as many as 22 and take a 16-point lead into the half. 

The Kingsmen would come out of the half a man down, however, as an ankle injury would sideline senior Nick Attanasio for the remainder of the game.

It was more of the same coming out of the half for the Kingsmen, who led by 10 with just nine minutes to play. But a 14-4 run by the Pioneers cut the lead to one, and it would stay within five points for the remainder of the game, including a tie with two minutes left. A Pioneer layup would cut Cal Lutheran's lead to two, but two free throws from Lewis would ice the game for the Kingsmen. 

Senior Stephen Davis attributed the win to the Kingsmen's resilience and calmness when faced with adversity. 

"Everyone's always ready. We got a great group of underclassmen that are always ready to go. Next man up mentality," Davis said. 

This is the Kingsmen's sixth-straight win and their second-slimmest margin of victory in that span. 

The Kingsmen are back in action Sunday, December 29 at 1 p.m. at Gilbert Arena. 

Key Stats:
Devon Lewis - 41 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL
Nick Attanasio -  8 PTS, 1 REB
Stephen Davis - 7 PTS, 6 REB, 1 STL