LOS ANGELES, CA — Occidental men's basketball secured a 79-65 victory over Cal Lutheran on Saturday at Rush Gymnasium. Occidental's strong second-half performance, highlighted by a 43-point surge, propelled the team to the win.
The game opened with a tightly contested first half as Occidental and Cal Lutheran traded leads and maintained a close score throughout. Occidental initially fell behind but rallied with a series of successful plays, including a layup by
Nasir Luna at 14:18 that briefly put them ahead. The teams exchanged the lead multiple times, highlighted by
Peter Noble's 3-pointer at 10:01, giving Occidental a 24–18 edge. However, Cal Lutheran managed to pull ahead by the end of the half, leading 37–36.
Occidental seized momentum early in the second half with Luna's jumper at 19:42, quickly followed by
Alex McCleery Brown's layup, assisted by
Atticus Boba, to pull ahead. The team sustained their lead through aggressive play in the paint, where they scored 24 points, and strong defensive efforts, including six steals. Brown capped the half with back-to-back dunks in the final seconds, contributing to a 43-point half.
The Tigers closed the second on a 15-4 run over the final 4:50. The Tigers late-game prowess has set them apart all-season. Oxy is 22nd in the nation in scoring margin, outscoring opponents 656-539 in the second half.
McCleery Brown recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while also tallying three steals — his sixth double-double of the season. Luna led the scoring with 22 points, converting all seven free throw attempts and adding 11 rebounds. Boba added 12 points and a team-high nine assists.
Jacob Koretz facilitated the offense with five assists and added five points.
The Tigers improved to 12-3 overall and 5-1 in SCIAC play. The Kingsmen are now 8-8 overall and 3-4 in SCIAC competition. Oxy will travel to Whittier on January 19th for a 7pm matchup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
