LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Men's basketball picked up a big win to open the season, a 78-66 victory over Stanton to complete a doubleheader sweep on Saturday, November 9 at Rush Gym.
 
The Tigers started off the game rocky, falling behind 11-4 through the first eight minutes of the game. Mateo Tangaan put together a string of three triples, giving the Tigers the lead for good.
 
Occidental led by as many as 26 during the second quarter and cruised – at one point the Tigers accumulated a 36-11 run starting in the first half through the 10-minute mark in the second.
 
Ball movement, ball control and three-point shooting was the name of the game for the Tigers on Saturday, turning the ball over only 15 times, hitting over 30% of their shots from beyond the arc and assisting on 15 buckets, four more than Stanton.
 
First year Nasir Luna fed off his impressive exhibition performance with 19 points and five assists in the season opener. Micah Breaux added 18 points. Ethan Hanning was the only other Tiger in double figures with 10, shooting 50% from three.
 
The young core for the Tigers fuels their energy on the court, most notably first year guards Alex McCleery Brown and Atticus Boba crashing the boards, with nine and five respectively. McCleery Brown finished two points and a rebound shy of a double-double.
 
The Tigers are back in action on Tuesday with an exhibition at SDSU, but return for a regular season contest against Caltech at home on Friday, Nov. 15.