LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Men's basketball dropped its second meeting with Cal Lutheran, a reschedule from January 11, 86-77 on Tuesday, February 11 in Rush Gym.
 
The Tigers played well in the first half, staying neck-and-neck with the No. 23 Kingsmen, trailing just 40-38 at the break. Alex McCleery Brown led the Tigers with 13 first-half points, finishing by the basket at a 60% clip. Jacob Hamermesh found his three-point stroke, draining a trio of triples in the first half.
 
Oxy's first half success came from the ball movement and three-point shooting. The Tigers tallied 12 assists, including five from Atticus Boba, and shot 40% from long range in the opening frame. 
 
The Tigers' luck changed in the second half, missing all nine of their threes through the first 15 minutes of the second. Nasir Luna found ways to score without the three after knocking down seven on Saturday against La Verne. The first year scored 13 points in the second half, shooting 7-of-13 from the field. Luna and McCleery Brown ended with 25 apiece.
 
The fire power of the Kingsmen proved too much for the Tigers as they continued to hit threes at a near-40% clip throughout the contest, while forcing nine steals on the defensive end.
 
While the Tigers sought to mark a comeback with under six minutes to go, a Devon Lewis triple extended the Cal Lutheran lead back to double digits and made a comeback insurmountable.
 
Occidental is back in action tomorrow, Wednesday February 12, on the road against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. in Roberts Pavillion.
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