This year, the California Lutheran University men’s and women’s basketball teams have been off to strong starts in their respective seasons.
The Kingsmen, who are currently in third place in SCIAC, have a record of 4-1 overall. They started the season with a three game win streak, defeating University of California Santa Cruz 66-55 on Nov. 16 and Bethesda Christian 77-74 on Nov. 20.
The Kingsmen got their biggest win of the season on Nov. 26 with a win against Pacifica, 84-60.
“Beating Pacifica University by 24 points shows that we can score when we want,” said sophomore guard Lanaki Apele.
On Dec. 4, the Kingsmen suffered their first loss of the season to Pomona Pitzer, 75-64. However, on Dec. 7 they bounced back and were able to get their first conference win against Chapman, 84-81.
“Our team goals for this year are to win SCIAC. Our team is better than we were last year and has all the right pieces to win it all; we just have to put it together,” said sophomore forward Guy Lynott.
Lynott has been a key contributor for the Kingsmen, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game, which puts him in the top five for rebounds per game in the conference.
“Our key strengths are our athleticism and also our scoring ability,” Lynott said. “As we prepare for the rest of the season, we need to develop better chemistry as well as improve our defense.”
The team’s leading score is junior forward Coltrane Powdrill, who is currently second in points per game in the conference, averaging 19.2 points.
For the Regals, they currently sit in seventh place of SCIAC with a record of 2-3. The Regals started the season with a tough loss of 88-59 at the George Fox Classic on Nov. 15.
However, in the second game of the tournament, they faced Linfield, winning 69-61.
This year, the Regals are a young team with only two seniors. The team will rely on the underclassmen returners for help and leadership.
“The leadership for our team has definitely come from our returners who have gone through this all before. The 10 new freshmen look to us in practice and when things start to get rocky in the games,” said junior guard Natalie Stone.
On Nov. 21, the Regals got their second win of the season, defeating Colorado College 69-49.
“The strength of our team is our quickness,” Stone said. “We love to push the ball up the court and control the tempo. Once we are out running, teams won’t be able to keep up with us.”
On Dec. 5 the Regals suffered their second loss of the season on the road against Pomona Pitzer 56-46 and followed that up with another loss On Dec. 7 when they traveled to Chapman, losing 81-72.
“As we prepare for SCIAC, we have been working hard on the defensive side of our game. We want to improve our one-on-one defense because it will make our team stronger and give us a chance to turn defensive stops into points at the other end,” Stone said.
Sophomore guard Chelsea Jacoby is the current team leader, averaging 12.6 points per game.
The Regals will host University of La Verne in search for their first conference win on Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Zachary Kaija
Staff Writer
Published December 11, 2013
