CLU Kingsmen Basketball News

Kingsmen Get Back in Win Column Against La Verne

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:30:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran men's basketball team got back in the win column tonight with a 72-60 conference victory over La Verne at Gilbert Arena before a crowd that included the family after whom the gymnasium is named.

Box Score: CLU 72, ULV 60 - F

Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert took in an exciting game that was described by senior Xavier Walton as, "A total team effort tonight as everyone contributed," he went on, "It was a big win for us."

It was a collective effort for the Kingsmen as they increased their lead to as many as 15 points after leading by a pair at the break, 27-25. Aaron Van Klaveren continued his double-double streak and Jayvaughn Nettles poured in 17 points as each connected for eight free-throws.

In a physical game, especially down the stretch, the Kingsmen went to the line 35 total times, converting 15-for-23 on the night. Nettles was perfect at the stripe with an 8-for-8 performances and Walton added another solid showing, going 2-for-2.

After a see-saw first half in which the teams were never separated by more than six points, when Nettles hit a three with 5:39 to play, the Kingsmen came out of the locker room revamped and turned in a well executed second stanza.

Up by just three at the 13:22 mark, Cal Lutheran went on an 11-0 run that was both sparked by a Van Klaveren layup on which he was fouled and converted the and-one and ended in the same scenario. Once CLU took a double figure lead during that stretch, they would never look back.

During the last two outings Cal Lutheran has struggled to finish the games, but tonight there would be no question. They shot 52.4 percent in the second half to finish at a 43.8 clip and limited ULV to just 28.6 percent in the second period. The Leopards combined to shoot 32.8 percent from the floor as a unit.

John Wilson led the defensive effort for the Kingsmen, who held La Verne's top two players to a combined 7-for-31 performance. Van Klaveren recorded a trio of blocks and got a pair of steals.

CLU outrebounded ULV 41-37 despite the Leos grabbing 12 offensive boards, four more than the Kingsmen. Those 12 second chances turned into 17 ULV points.

Van Klaveren led all players with 22 points and 15 rebounds in the game. He was 7-for-9 from the floor and 8-for-11 at the charity stripe. Mike Harris chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal as he played nearly all 40 minutes. Wilson handed out a game high four assists for CLU as well as being a defensive presence.

La Verne (5-15, 2-7 SCIAC) was paced by Trevor Woodland with 14 points while Austin Napolitano recorded a nine point, nine rebound night with a pair of assists, a pair of blocks and a pair of steals.

Cal Lutheran (7-12, 3-6 SCIAC) will be on the road Wednesday evening when they travel to Pomona-Pitzer (12-7, 7-2 SCIAC) to take on the Sagehens at 7:30 p.m.

Van Klaveren Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:30:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Aaron Van Klaveren was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 2011-12 Men's Basketball Team. He is one of five Division III players to be selected from District 8 which includes eight states and Canada.

On the court this season Van Klaveren is averaging over 16 points and 11 rebounds per contest. He has recorded double-doubles in 13-of-18 games this year and has held top-20 national marks in multiple statistical categories.

Van Klaveren is a senior currently pursuing his degree in business administration. His career goals include becoming a real estate entrepreneur, Ag. Commodities broker, and farming.

Rounding out the District 8 Division III team is Felix Friedt and Wade Gebbers of Whitworth, Kaleb Shelton-Johnson of Puget Sound, and Chris Barnes from Texas-Dallas.

All of the First Team District selections will also be automatically nominated for Academic All-America honors.

Cal Lutheran Succumbs to Second Half Scoring Blitz

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran defense allowed Whittier to score 57 second half points in Wednesday's 81-46 loss to Whittier. A tie game at halftime turned into the team's most lopsided loss of the season.

Box Score: WC 81, CLU 46 - F

It was a tale of two halves with the first going at the pace that Cal Lutheran desired. The Kingsmen controlled the paint and the glass while slowing down the Poets high octane offense.

Aaron Van Klaveren finished the first half with 14 points and 11 rebounds, providing more than half of the team's production in each category. Counterpart Drew Menez knocked down 3-of-5 from downtown to lead Whittier with nine points, but the rest of the cast went 0-for-5 from deep in the first half.

The Poets second leading scorer this season in Nathan Easterman experienced early foul trouble limiting his minutes. He managed just two points in six first half minutes, but was one of three Whittier players to finish with 11 or more points.

Cal Lutheran did all it could defensively to keep the Whittier offense at bay. The Kingsmen held the Poets, who had averaged over 89 points per game coming into the night, to just 24 first half points and a tie ballgame at intermission.

Whittier's pressure defense paid dividends in the second half and led to several fast break scoring chances and uncontested looks at the basket. The Poets scored 30 points in the paint, 16 off CLU turnovers, and 10 fast break points in the second half alone.

After scoring 24 points in the opening 20 minutes of regulation, the Poets had matched that total just eight minutes into the second period. The team's frantic pace set the tone early in the second half and forced 12 Kingsmen turnovers in the period.

Whittier's second half shooting display included a 22-for-32 performance from the field, highlighted by making 6-of-7 of its 3-point attempts. While the Poets made 9-of-17 from three, the Kingsmen managed to sink just 3-of-23 in regulation.

Menez finished with a team-high 21 points, followed by Greg Preer with 19 and Easterman with 11. Teammate Kelly Johnson finished with a game-high eight assists.

Van Klaveren finished with game-highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds. He shot near perfect from the floor making 10-of-11 shots. Teammate Martin Flowers led the CLU bench with 12 points in 17 minutes.

Whittier accomplished a season sweep of Cal Lutheran for only the second time since the 1990-91 season. The Kingsmen suffered just their second home loss to the Poets during that stretch.

Cal Lutheran (6-12, 2-6 SCIAC) will host La Verne (5-14, 2-6 SCIAC) on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m.

Early Lead Against Stags Fades

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Facing the top team in the conference and the No. 15 team in the nation, Cal Lutheran opened a 26-22 lead at the intermission but a spark by CMS late in the second half toppled that effort as CLU fell 59-53. Tonight marked the mid-way point of the league schedule for the Kingsmen.

Box Score: CMS 59, CLU 53 - F

Cal Lutheran came out fired up and took an early nine point lead. The Stags would claw their way back into things and keep the score close throughout the remainder of the opening half, but it was the Kingsmen, looking for their first road victory of the SCIAC season, who took a four-point, 26-22, lead at the break.

Although Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was able to limit Aaron Van Klaveren, the SCIAC Player of the Week last week, and Mike Harris to just five combined points in the first 20 minutes, CLU used other weapons to stay ahead of the Stags. Xavier Walton fueled the Kingsmen as he led all players with 13 points, going 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-5 at the free-throw line in the period. CLU knocked down 55 percent of its first half shots.

The strong Kingsmen defense created struggles for CMS shooting the ball as the Stags were just 24 percent from the field in the opening half. CLU limited the production of Chris Blees to a mere three points.

The tides, however, turned at the mid-way point of the second stanza. A pair of Walton free-throws gave CLU a 39-31 lead, but that was as separated as the teams would get.

With just over 10 minutes in regulation, CMS got the spark they were looking for on a pair of back-to-back buckets. The second was courtesy of a CLU turnover, which got the Stags within five and ignited the CMS crowd. That was the beginning of a 14-5 run, which gave CMS their first lead of the second half.

Jayvaughn Nettles twice tied the game via three-point shots as he was 5-for-6 from long range in the second half, finishing with a game high 21 points. Unfortunately, though for the Kingsmen, their hottest player in the game was called for a foul, his fifth of the night, with 3:57 remaining in regulation.

With 2:44 to go, a Ryan Benson free-throw for the Kingsmen would pull the squad within three at 52-49. CLU was just 2-for-8 in the final two minutes while CMS would go on convert 5-for-8 free-throws down the stretch to seal the victory and remain atop the league standings.

Overall, CLU cooled off to shoot just 31 percent in the final 20 minutes as the Stags headed up, connecting on 50 percent of their attempts.

The Kingsmen were stronger on the glass with 38 rebounds to CMS' 29.

Van Klaveren turned in yet another double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, which led all players on the court. Walton finished with 17 points for CLU.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (16-1, 6-1 SCIAC) spread out the scoring but Tyler Gaffney and Jack Grodahl paced the pack with 13 and 11 points, respectively. CLU limited Blees to just seven points.

Cal Lutheran (6-11, 2-5) will return to action on Wednesday, February 1 when the host the Poets of Whittier College (13-5, 5-2) at 7:30 p.m. at the Gilbert Arena.

Kingsmen Stumble on Road to Bulldogs

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:06:20 PST

On the road for the first time in over a week, Cal Lutheran stumbled to the University of Redlands by a 72-56 margin in conference play.

Van Klaveren Selected SCIAC Athlete of the Week

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Men's basketball team member Aaron Van Klaveren was named the conference's male athlete of the week, announced on Tuesday. The senior scored his 1,000th career point to cap off the team's second straight league win.

Release: SCIAC Male AOW

Van Klaveren netted his milestone point at the free throw during a 60-54 home win over Occidental on Saturday, Jan. 21. It was his game-high 22nd point of the evening, to go along with 17 rebounds. Earlier in the week Cal Lutheran earned a 64-42 victory over Caltech. In limited action due to foul trouble, he still managed to put up 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Van Klaveren is the only player in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) to average a double-double per game. His 16.0 points ranks fourth, and he leads the SCIAC hauling in 10.6 rebounds per contest.

The senior has 10 double-doubles this season ranking eighth in all of NCAA Division III. Van Klaveren also holds top-20 national marks in field goal percentage (.628) and rebounds per game.

Cal Lutheran (6-9, 2-3 SCIAC) will be on the road Wednesday, Jan. 25, against Redlands (8-8, 3-2 SCIAC).

Walton Makes Net Gains at CLU

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - There was a time when Xavier Walton didn't think he would last four days at Cal Lutheran, yet alone four years.

CLU men's basketball coach Rich Rider challenged Walton many times during his freshman season. Although Rider had Walton's best interest at heart, it didn't make it any easier for Walton to take.

"Coach Rider and me really butted heads. He came after me a lot coming out of high school, and I was not necessarily used to that," Walton said. "He made me work harder than ever before and pushed me harder than ever before. But it definitely made me stronger."

Walton has reaped the rewards of his growth at CLU on and off the court.

The 6-foot senior guard has started 14 games he has played in for the Kingsmen (6-9, 2-3) this season.

He is averaging 8.4 points, 3.0 assists and 31.6 minutes in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

Walton scored 10 points and matched his career-high with seven assists last Saturday in a win over Occidental.

Although it has not been a fairy-tale final season so far in terms of the team's record, Walton's spirits remain high.

"We've definitely had our ups and downs - more downs this year," he said. "We are a young, young team. But we have not lost hope yet. Our coaches have a lot of optimism in us and believe we can turn it around."

Walton attended Capital Christian High School in Sacramento. He didn't even know Cal Lutheran existed until CLU assistant Geoff Dains started recruiting him after spotting him in a tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

"I came down on a visit, and it was a great location and a great school, and I like the small-school feel." Walton said. "I come from a small-school background. I talked to Coach Rider, and he said I would have an opportunity to play as a freshman, and that pretty much sold me along with everything else here."

Walton has fully engaged himself in the entire CLU experience. He is the news editor of the school newspaper, the news director for the iCLU student radio station and also referees intramural sports.

Walton, a communications major, wants to become a television news reporter. He served an internship at a TV station in Ohio two years ago and found his calling.

"Going out with the reporter and covering all the different stories and interacting with people was just really fun for me," Walton said. "I really enjoyed it, and hopefully I can get to a smaller market somewhere to start after I graduate and get on TV live."

As his basketball career gradually nears its end, Walton is trying to appreciate every moment at CLU - even getting yelled at during practice.

"I have grown to love it. At first, I was not so sure about everything going on. But after staying here four years, I have no regrets," he said. "It's definitely been a great learning experience. That is for sure."

Van Klaveren Reaches Scoring Milestone in Win Over Occidental

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran senior Aaron Van Klaveren scored the final point during Saturday night's 60-54 home win over Occidental. He became the 25th player in program history to score 1,000 points for his collegiate career, all while securing the Kingsmen their second straight conference victory.

Box Score: CLU 60, OXY 54 - F

Van Klaveren not only scored 22 points to lead all players, but also was dominant on the glass grabbing a game-high 17 rebounds. He collected his 10th double-double of the season, 20 th over the past two years and 29th of his career. The senior was responsible for seven of the 11 Kingsmen offensive rebounds, which CLU used to score eight points.

The senior captain was careful to point out that Saturday's victory was a complete team effort. While the night was more focused on his scoring milestone, fellow seniors Xavier Walton and John Wilson played key roles in the win.

Walton matched his career-high with seven assists, to go along with 10 points and two steals. Wilson played 28 minutes and was a major factor in holding Occidental's regular season leading scorer Deshun McCoy to just two points.

Mike Harris knocked down a couple of 3-pointers and junior Jayvaughn Nettles went 3-for-5 from behind the arc in the second half. Sophomore Steven Davis came off the bench and knocked down a pair of game-clinching free throws in the final minute of regulation.

It was a total team effort, and celebration following Saturday night's contest. Not only for the team's second straight victory, but also for the Van Klaveren's scoring milestone.

Cal Lutheran opened up a 7-0 lead early before the Tigers clawed their way back into the game. The first lead change did not take place until there were 40 seconds left in the first half. Jack Hanley converted a layup in the paint to give OXY a momentary 22-21 lead before Walton sank a jumper on the ensuing Kingsmen possession four seconds before intermission.

OXY took the ball out to begin the second period of play and Jake Copithorne quickly put the Black and Orange on top with a jumper. After a John Wilson layup for CLU broke a 26-26 tie the Kingsmen would never look back as they never relinquished that lead. Van Klaveren gave CLU its biggest lead of the night at the 10:17 mark when his bucket put the home squad up 44-34.

With just under three minutes in regulation Nettles knocked down a clutch three-pointer and Walton followed with a basket to give CLU a nine-point cushion.

OXY did not back down, scoring eight of the next nine points to get within three. Steven Davis stepped up to the line for CLU and put in a pair of free throws with 25 ticks left. Van Klaveren then locked in the victory with his free throw as the clock showed 16 seconds to play.

Both teams shot well in the second half with the advantage going to the Tigers at 53.8 percent to finish the night shooting 51.1 percent. CLU connected for 48.1 percent of their shots from the floor in the second half, finishing at a 41.8 percent clip. Occidental scored 30 points in the paint and Cal Lutheran netted 28 from the paint.

Three other CLU players joined Van Klaveren in double figures tonight with Nettles pouring in 11 and Walton and Mike Harris scoring 10 apiece. Walton handed out a game high seven assists.

The Kingsmen pulled down 33 rebounds while the Tigers came away with 31, but CLU managed to get their hands on 11 offensive boards while OXY nabbed just four. Nettles, Walton, Van Klaveren and John Wilson each recorded two steals in the game as well.

Occidental (7-9, 2-3 SCIAC) was led by a 15 point night from senior Jack Hanley with both Conrad Lebowitz and Kris Montoya tallying 12. Liebowitz also finished with seven rebounds and Jake Copithorne grabbed six. Ty Cobb dished out five of the 12 OXY assists.

Cal Lutheran (6-9, 2-3 SCIAC) will be on the road Wednesday evening, Jan. 25, to face the University of Redlands (8-8, 3-2 SCIAC) for a tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

Cal Lutheran Controls Momentum in First Conference Win

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Each team seeking its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory of the season, Cal Lutheran hosted the Beavers from Caltech tonight inside Gilbert Arena. It was the Kingsmen who walked away victorious, winning 64-42 after opening a 39-20 halftime lead.

Box Score: CLU 64, CIT 42 - F

When Collin Knudsen converted back-to-back fast-break lay-ups for the Kingsmen at the 9:55 and 9:32 marks of the first half CLU broke a 10-10 tie. Knudsen sparked an 8-0 run in which he was solely responsible for six points.

Ultimately, that was the turning point in the game as CLU maintained the momentum and closed out the period on an 11-0 run. The home squad took a comfortable 39-20 lead into the locker room.

Ten first half Caltech fouls sent the Kingsmen to the charity stripe 13 times and they knocked down 11 with Knudsen leading the attack going 6-for-6.

In the second stanza CLU led by as much as 21 points on two occasions behind buckets from senior John Wilson and freshman Mike Harris at the 19:25 and 17:45 marks, respectively.

Caltech would chip away and get back within nine at 47-38 on a pair of free-throws from Michael Edwards, but a CLU timeout at 7:22 allowed the Kingsmen to refocus. Cal Lutheran quickly netted eight unanswered points and regained, and maintained, a double figure lead throughout the remainder of regulation.

Fourteen different Kingsmen got out on the court tonight with eight scoring.

Aaron Van Klaveren was clutch for CLU tonight as he nearly had a first half double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. He finished with game highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds and was perfect from the floor at 6-for-6, adding a 4-for-5 performance at the line despite being in foul trouble for much of the night.

Harris, Wilson and Xavier Walton each handed out three assists in the win.

Cal Lutheran shot at a 42 percent clip overall. Joining Van Klaveren in double figures was Knudsen who tallied 13 points, going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. With .3 seconds left Andrew Atakpo knocked down a pair of free-throws to close the night out.

Defensively for CLU Henry Leff and Ryan Burris each recorded a pair of blocks and Leff came down with five boards. Harris finished with seven rebounds. Knudsen also came up with a trio of steals.

Leading Caltech was Collin Murphy who poured in 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field in just 15 minutes of action. Ethan Boroson had a team high six rebounds.

Twelve of the 20 CIT first half points came via three-point shots, but CLU's defense did not allow another long ball in the final half of play. Caltech shot 30.8 percent from the field tonight.

Cal Lutheran (5-9, 1-3 SCIAC) will be back in Gilbert Arena on Saturday evening, Jan. 21, when they host Occidental (7-8, 2-2 SCIAC) at 7 p.m.

Cal Lutheran Falls to La Verne

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:00:00 PST

LA VERNE, Calif. - Cal Lutheran is still searching for its first conference victory of the season after falling 65-53 on the road Saturday night to La Verne. The Kingsmen could not overcome a 15-0 second half scoring run by the Leopards.

Box Score: ULV 65, CLU 53 - F

Cal Lutheran held a slim 28-27 lead at the half after leading by as many as five over the opening 20 minutes of play. Mike Harris led the first half offensive effort with 11 points.

The Kingsmen took control of the boards during that stretch outrebounding the Leopards 20-8. La Verne took just 19 shots and failed to grab an offensive rebound in the first half.

Aaron Van Klaveren took over where Harris left off putting up 12 of his game-high 19 points in the second half. However an early and lengthy La Verne scoring run proved to be the difference in the second half.

Cal Lutheran watched a 35-32 lead turn into a 12-point deficit over a seven minute stretch. The Kingsmen pulled to within five following back-to-back lay-ups from Xavier Walton, but never came any closer. Walton finished with 14 points and a team-high three assists.

La Verne countered with its own trio of double digit scorers led by 17 points from Trevor Woodland. Jake Veith scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to lead the Leopards.

The Leopards bench also played a contributing factor in Saturday's result outscoring the Kingsmen reserves 12-0 in the second half. The ULV reserves shot 5-for-9 from the floor including three 3-pointers, while the CLU bench players went 0-for-11 from the field.

Cal Lutheran (4-9, 0-3 SCIAC) will host Caltech (5-9, 0-3 SCIAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 18.

Slow Second Half Start Dooms Kingsmen

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:00:00 PST

WHITTIER, Calif. - Cal Lutheran was playing catch up throughout most of Wednesday night's road conference tilt with Whittier. A strong second half start by the Poets left the Kingsmen behind for good and on the short end of a 74-57 score.

Box Score: WC 74, CLU 57 - F

In back-to-back conference games the Kingsmen found themselves facing a 15-point deficit midway through the second half. After pulling even with Pomona-Pitzer within a five minute stretch on Saturday, Cal Lutheran was unable to make a serious run at overtaking Whittier.

After spotting the Poets nine points to begin the game Cal Lutheran answered back with nine of its own to tie the game. It would become a common first half theme with Whittier going on lengthy scoring runs and the Kingsmen immediately responding.

Cal Lutheran did well to keep pace and hold down the SCIAC's most prolific scoring team which averaged nearly 95 points per game heading into the evening. The Kingsmen scored the final seven points of the opening period and trailed by a slim 39-37 margin at the half.

CLU knocked down 12-of-16 first half free throws and forced the Poets to commit 11 personal fouls in the process. Martin Flowers and Aaron Van Klaveren combined to go 7-for-10 at the foul line and score 25 of the team's 37 first half points.

Again Whittier came out strong to open the half putting Cal Lutheran in a large hole. Over the first 10 minutes of the second half the Poets completed a 17-4 scoring run to lead by 15 points. It featured four Whittier 3-pointers including three courtesy of Brandon Thomas.

Unfortunately the Kingsmen were unable to chip away at the deficit as they did in the opening 20 minutes. Cal Lutheran earned just four second half trips to the foul line and made only one. After combining for 25 first half points, Flowers and Van Klaveren were held to a combined five in the second.

Teammate Mike Harris scored seven of his 12 points in the second half to lead the bench. He played 34 minutes and connected on 3-of-4 shots from the field and 5-of-6 free throws. Van Klaveren collected his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cal Lutheran defense held Whittier to under 75 points for just the third time this season. It was the first occasion the Poets came out victorious after being held below that mark.

Three of Whittier's starting five scored in double figures led by 15 points from Nathaniel Easterman. Drew Menez finished with 13 points and Thomas with 11.

Cal Lutheran (4-8, 0-2 SCIAC) will remain on the road Saturday, Jan. 14, to face La Verne (3-10, 0-2 SCIAC).

Men's Hoops Dealt Tough Loss in SCIAC Opener

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - After trailing by 15 points midway through the second half Cal Lutheran climbed all the way back to pull even with Pomona-Pitzer. However the Kingsmen were unable to take the lead as the Sagehens pulled away late to take a 61-56 decision.

Box Score: PP 61, CLU 56 - F

For the most part Aaron Van Klaveren was the Cal Lutheran first half offense scoring 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 at the foul line. He led all players in scoring and rebounding with six boards at halftime.

A halftime buzzer beating 3-pointer from Ryan Benson was the only other field goal make for the Kingsmen heading into the locker room. Despite their offensive woes the Kingsmen trailed by a manageable 27-16 deficit and were in need of another scoring option.

Over the opening minutes of the second half Cal Lutheran chipped away but never pulled closer than four points. The Sagehens balanced offensive attack provided several momentum shifting baskets which eventually gave the visiting squad a 45-30 lead midway through the second half.

Another CLU scoring option was necessary to mount any chance of coming back in Saturday's SCIAC opener. The call was answered by freshman Martin Flowers who poured in 25 of his game-high 26 points in the second half.

Leading 47-38 with seven minutes left Sagehen sophomore Jake Klewer missed an uncontested lay-up that would have pushed the advantage back to double figures. In turn CLU went on a scoring run that pulled the Kingsmen even with 5:13 remaining in regulation.

Cal Lutheran's defense held Pomona-Pitzer to just one made field goal over the final eight minutes of regulation. Despite that the Kingsmen struggled themselves down the stretch making 1-of-6 shots while committing a pair of turnovers after tying the game at 48-48.

Evan Zahiser provided the lone Sagehen bucket over the last eight minutes. The score came at the five minute mark which gave the visiting side a 50-48 lead and one they would hold on to until the final buzzer.

Despite second half foul trouble Van Klaveren finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. Flowers knocked down 10-of-11 free throws in compiling his career-best 26 points. Michael Cohen led Pomona-Pitzer with 14 points and four assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Teammate John Weiss finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead the starting lineup.

Cal Lutheran (4-7, 0-1 SCIAC) will be on the road Wednesday, Jan. 11, to face Whittier (8-4, 0-1 SCIAC).

Kingsmen Suffer Similar Fate to Slugs

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:00:00 PST

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Cal Lutheran men's basketball came up short in its effort to avenge an earlier loss to UC Santa Cruz. In a Tuesday night road game featuring 11 lead changes and eight ties the Banana Slugs pulled away late to defeat the Kingsmen 61-51.

Box Score: UCSC 61, CLU 51 - F

It was a back-and-forth slugfest throughout the first half with neither team leading by more than five points. Cal Lutheran gained its largest lead of the period at 18-13 following a Michael Palmer 3-pointer with 10:26 left.

Unfortunately it would be the only make from downtown for the Kingsmen as they shot 1-for-14 for the game. Despite the off night from downtown Cal Lutheran took a 34-33 lead at the 16 minute mark of the second half following two of Aaron Van Klaveren's game-high 14 points.

Van Klaveren connected on 7-of-12 shots from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds. He moved into third place on the program's all-time rebounding list.

UCSC's Nathan Mohri scored on his team's ensuing possession and the Banana Slugs never trailed the rest of the way. However back-to-back baskets CLU's Steven Davis closed the deficit to two points with six minutes to go.

The home side connected on 4-of-10 from distance with the final coming from Samuel Allen. His 3-pointer with 2:45 remaining gave UC Santa Cruz its largest lead of the game up to that point before tacking on late free throws in the final minutes of regulation.

UC Santa Cruz's Jamien Jones led his team with 11 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

Tuesday's game marked the second time this season Cal Lutheran lost to UC Santa Cruz by 10 points. The Kingsmen dropped a 60-50 decision to the Banana Slugs back on Dec. 18, inside Gilbert Arena.

Cal Lutheran (4-6) will begin conference play on Saturday, Jan. 7, when it hosts Pomona-Pitzer.

Friday Win Secures Third at Host Tourney

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran bested Geneva 53-45 in the consolation final of the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Tournament (TFFL) on Friday evening. Washington (MD) College defeated Carthage 69-65 in the championship game to earn the TFFL title.

Box Score: CLU 53, GEN 45 - F
Box Score: WASH 69, CAR 65 - F

Washington's Kevin Breslin was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Teammate Sal Schittino, Carthage's Malcolm Kelly and Mitch Thompson, CLU's Aaron Van Klaveren and Geneva's Dave Phillips round out the TFFL All-Tournament Team selections as voted upon by the coaching staff's for each program.

Cal Lutheran 53, Geneva 45 - F
In a low scoring defensive battle the Kingsmen were able to capitalize a few more times than the Golden Tornadoes. Cal Lutheran outscored Geneva 17-8 in points off turnovers while committing seven less miscues in the process.

Another major factor in Friday's result was the performance of CLU newcomer Ryan Benson. He led the team's scoring effort 15 points in 32 minutes off the Kingsmen bench.

Prior to Friday's effort, Benson had appeared in only three games and totaled 11 points in 15 minutes of floor time. He nearly matched those marks in the first half alone leading Cal Lutheran with nine points in 15 first half minutes.

While Benson was effective from the outside teammate Aaron Van Klaveren took control of the glass. The senior big man grabbed 11 of his game-high 18 boards in the first half. He finished with 14 points, two blocks and a steal in 34 minutes.

Cal Lutheran held the lead over the final 35 minutes of regulation, but not without some close calls along the way. Twice in the second half Geneva closed the deficit to two points but came no closer.

Geneva's Dave Phillips scored two of his game-high 21 points at the 8:32 mark closing the gap to 34-32. He scored 13 in the first half including a 3-pointer that put him over 1,000 points for his career.

Over the final two minutes Cal Lutheran connected on 9-of-11 free throws to stay out of danger and hold on for victory.

Cal Lutheran (4-5) will be on the road Tuesday, Jan. 5, to take on UC Santa Cruz.

Washington (MD) 69, Carthage 65 - F
In the title game, Carthage shot 50 percent from the floor and took a 10 point advantage to the locker room after leading by as many as 14 points in the opening period of play. Thompson took the Red Men on his back in the first 20 minutes with 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting while also grabbing six rebounds.

Washington came out fired up in the second half and chipped away until they earned their first lead of the half at the 13:51 mark on a three-pointer by Schittino, which gave the Shoremen a 42-41 advantage.

The teams were never separated by more than five points for the remainder of regulation.

At the 1:09 mark Washington used all but one second on their shot clock and Tony Hawkins capped off a solid possession with a jumper in the paint on an assist from Breslin, giving the Shoremen a 63-61 lead.

A quick Red Men foul gave the ball back to Washington and Breslin wasted no time finding the bottom of the net himself to put Washington up by four with just under a minute to play. Breslin went on to lock in the victory for the designated home squad when he converted all four of his free-throws down the stretch.

The game saw seven ties and seven lead changes when all was said and done.

Although Washington was victorious, Carthage held a shooting edge 44.6 to 40 percent and grabbed more rebounds, 44-36, but turnovers were their nemesis as they committed 22, which led to 23 Washington points.

Thompson finished with a game high 22-point, 15-rebound double-double, leading both categories, for the Red Men. Kelly tacked on 16 points with seven rebounds and Donte Logan led all players with seven assists and three steals.

Kevin Cunningham was the leading scorer for the Shoremen with 15. Breslin tallied 13 points with five assists and three steals. Also reaching double figures was Chris Olsen with 11.

Kingsmen Fall to Shoremen in Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Tourney Opener

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran served as the host for the annual Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Men's Basketball Tournament which got underway on Thursday night. CLU dropped its tourney opener to Washington (MD) College 75-67.

Box Score: WASH 75, CLU 67 - F
Box Score: CART 76, GEN 48 - F

Washington (MD) 75, Cal Lutheran 67 - F
The Kingsmen returned to their home turf following a 10-day hiatus for the Holiday Break. CLU enjoyed its return home early on leading by as many as 12 points during the opening half of play. Freshman Mike Harris led the effort with team highs of 13 points and four boards over the first 20 minutes.

Over the final 82 seconds of the first period Washington's Kevin Breslin score six unanswered points to cap off a 10-0 run. He turned a four-point Shoremen deficit into a 42-36 halftime lead.

It was a lead the visiting side would maintain until an 8-0 scoring run sparked by Cal Lutheran's three leading scorers put the Kingsmen up 56-54 with 7:20 left in regulation. Harris and Aaron Van Klaveren provided six of those points and each finished with double-doubles.

The Shoremen responded in kind with eight unanswered points late in the game. A shot-clock beating fade away three-point heave from Sal Schittino banked in giving Washington a 67-61 lead with 49 ticks left.

Breslin led all players with both 22 points and six steals and was a rebound shy of a double-double to lead his squad. Tony Hawkins and Schittino each poured in 13 points in the win for WC.

Van Klaveren led Cal Lutheran with 18 points and 13 rebounds. He and Harris combined to shoot 15-of-24 from the field and totaled 33 points and 24 boards.

Cal Lutheran (3-5) will face Geneva (3-7) in the consolation final at 6 p.m. Carthage (6-4) defeated Geneva 76-48 on Thursday night and will play Washington (6-5) at 8 p.m. for the TFFL title.

Carthage 76, Geneva 48 - F
Game two of the Annual Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Men's Basketball Tournament saw the Carthage College Red Men defeat the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes 76-48.

In a defensive battle early on, the Red Men took a 37-19 advantage into the locker room behind a thrilling performance by 6-foot-9 Luke Johnson who tallied four blocks, grabbing eight rebounds.

Carthage shot 49.3 percent from the field and cruised the victory behind a 23 point night from Mitch Thompson and a defensive gem from Johnson who finished with nine blocks and 12 rebounds to lead all players.

Geneva, which shot just 26.2 percent as a team was led by the trio of Dave Phillips, Lambros Svingos and Matt Lorello. Each player poured in 12 points while Svingos and Lorello came down with nine rebounds apiece.

Tomorrow Geneva will tip-off with host Cal Lutheran at 6 p.m. in the consolation final. Carthage and Washington play for the tournament title at 8 p.m. The TFFL All-Tournament Team will be announced following the completion of Friday's contests.

CLU Prepares for Basketball Tournament Double-Double

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran men's basketball coach Rich Rider never has trouble fielding teams for his annual holiday tournament. In fact, Rider has a rotating waiting list of programs eager to return. They come for the competition, and the great weather doesn't hurt either.

Website: Men's Tournament
Website: Women's Classic

"The Midwest teams always enjoy traveling out West during this time of year," Rider said. "The word is out this is a first-class tournament, and we have a lot of teams penciled in to come every three years on a rotational basis. They come from all over the country and they really enjoy it."

The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Tournament will be held Dec. 29-30 at the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

In its 22nd year, the four-team tournament is the longest-running Division III men's tournament in the West Region.

Basketball fans can double their pleasure at CLU on Dec. 30 because the women's team is hosting its Posada Royale Holiday Classic Dec. 30-31.

"We are very fortunate to work with great sports information directors and athletic trainers because it makes for a long middle day," CLU women's coach Roy Dow said. "My tournament has six teams, so that means there are five games that day. That is a lot of basketball."

Having the tournaments overlap requires a good working relationship between the CLU basketball coaching staffs.

"Rich and I have so much mutual respect for each other and it makes it really easy," Dow said. "So much good comes out of this for our kids and for the university. We are getting our name out there and giving exposure to our kids. Plus, we have as good of a facility as there is in Division III."

Like Rider, Dow never has a problem drawing teams for his larger tournament.

"We are in one of the most beautiful parts of the country in Thousand Oaks," Dow said. "Most of the teams come into town the 27th and do sightseeing stuff. It's a convenient spot for them to be able to travel to those places and have a good time."

Rider could have easily expanded his tournament over the years, but he wanted to keep it at just four teams. This year, the visiting teams are Washington College (Md.), Carthage (Wis.) and Geneva (Pa.).

The men hold a banquet each year in which two players from each team are seated at tables together.

"They are forced to get to know one another and it is really an interesting dynamic," Rider said. "Oftentimes they become friends. In this day and age with the electronic media, they stay in close contact. They realize they are good guys too and they realize they have the same problems they do."

But the ultimate goal of the tournaments for both coaches is to prepare their teams for future games.

"It is good competition and it is a great lead-in to conference play," Rider said. "The competition we see here is equal to or better than what we face in conference."

Cal Lutheran Suffers Setback Against Cruz

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran was playing from behind throughout most of Sunday afternoon's match-up with UC Santa Cruz. Each time CLU put a scoring run together the Banana Slugs had the answer in a 60-50 home loss for the Kingsmen.

Box Score: UCSC 60, CLU 50 - F

A dismal offensive first half for Cal Lutheran featured 12 turnovers, 15 points and 19 total shots. Despite their offensive woes the Kingsmen trailed by just three with five minutes remaining in the first half.

UC Santa Cruz closed out the opening period on a 15-3 run highlighted by a trio of three-pointers. The last of those three's came in the final second as Kevin Konopelski knocked down the fourth Banana Slugs triple of the half giving his squad a 30-15 halftime lead.

Six different players scored on six different occasions during the late first half surge. It was a theme throughout the afternoon for the Banana Slugs offense as nine different players scored in all.

In contrast only three Kingsmen contributed first half points. In his first significant action of the season freshman Martin Flowers showcased his abilities early on with five first half points.

He scored the final five first half points for Cal Lutheran and provided a much needed spark off the bench. Flowers finished with 12 points, two rebounds, a block and an assist in 18 minutes of floor time.

Cal Lutheran opened the second half scoring six unanswered points cutting the deficit to nine. It would be the first of multiple instances in which the Kingsmen closed the gap to under 10 points. However UC Santa Cruz answered with timely baskets preserving at minimum a six point cushion throughout the final 20 minutes.

Following the 6-0 CLU scoring run out of intermission Tyler Hunt knocked down one of his game-high four three-pointers to push the lead back to 12 points. Teammate Samuel Allen proved to be the second half nemesis for Cal Lutheran scoring 13 of his team-high 15 points in the frame.

On four different occasions Allen made either a basket or free throw that pushed the UC Santa Cruz advantage back to double figures. After Cal Lutheran closed to within 56-50 in the final minute of play he was fouled and went to the charity stripe for two free throws.

Despite the team shooting 4-of-14 from the line in the first 39 minutes of regulation, Allen and Brent Jacobs combined to make the final four attempts to seal the game.

Aaron Van Klaveren finished with game-highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds. He became just the sixth player in program history with over 700 career rebounds. Van Klaveren needs one more board to move into fifth all-time in Kingsmen history.

Cal Lutheran (3-4) will play back-to-back games at the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Tournament starting on Friday, Dec. 29, against Washington (MD) College.

Comeback Comes up Short Against Chapman

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:00:00 PST

ORANGE, Calif. - Cal Lutheran came close in completing its comeback attempt, but in the end fell short in a 58-54 road loss to Chapman. The Kingsmen cut the deficit to only two points late in the second half but never pulled even.

Box Score: CU 58, CLU 54 - F

Chapman jumped out to a 21-7 lead to begin Saturday's game and led by as many as 16 in the first half. Panthers starting guard Brandon Lin scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the opening period.

In the second half Cal Lutheran's offense shot 54 percent from the field including a pair of three-pointers from Jayvaughn Nettles. His second closed the margin to 54-52 with 38 seconds left in regulation.

After a pair of Chapman free throw conversions Aaron Van Klaveren again cut the deficit to two points with 18 seconds remaining. He finished with a team-high 12 points and eight rebounds.

CLU was forced to put the Panthers on the line in hopes of a miss and having a chance to force overtime with one final possession. Chapman's Lin missed both free throws but the rebound went out of bounds to the Panthers.

Lin got a second chance with four seconds left and knocked down both to seal the victory. In a four point margin of victory it was free throws that played a crucial role in Saturday's result.

Chapman made 17-of-25 free throws including 14-of-18 in the second half. Cal Lutheran converted only 6-of-15 attempts including 5-of-10 in the second period.

Cal Lutheran will host UC Santa Cruz on Sunday, Dec. 18.

Kingsmen Defend Arena from Gladiators

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:30:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran held a lead over the final 34-plus minutes of regulation to defeat Pacifica 72-60 inside Gilbert Arena on Wednesday. Freshman Mike Harris highlighted a productive group of Kingsmen with 19 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

Box Score: CLU 72, PC 60 - F

Throughout Wednesday's victory several individuals provided key efforts starting with Jayvaughn Nettles and Michael Palmer. Each contributed 15 points and combined to knock down all seven of Cal Lutheran's three-pointers.

Five first half three-pointers courtesy of Nettles and Palmer catapulted Cal Lutheran to a comfortable double-digit cushion. Nettles made three triples within the opening 10 minutes and Palmer's second of the first period put the Kingsmen up by double figures.

The CLU trio of forwards in Harris, Aaron Van Klaveren and John Wilson controlled the glass with each grabbing 10 or more rebounds. A 42-29 advantage on the boards limited Pacifica's second chance scoring and hopes of mounting a serious comeback.

Pacifica's athletic guards were able to find success led by Quincy Spencer with 17 points. He finished 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and led the Gladiators with three assists and as many steals.

The Pacifica defense held Cal Lutheran without a field goal during a four-minute stretch late in the second half. Trailing by 13 with eight minutes left the Gladiators offense missed out on its comeback chance connecting on only 3-of-11 shots to close out the game.

CLU's Steven Davis made the most of his first start this season playing all 40 minutes. He contributed a career-high six points, and led all players with personal bests of six assists and five steals.

Cal Lutheran (3-2) will be on the road to face Chapman on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.

Van Klaveren Doing it All at Cal Lutheran

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Lazy will never be an adjective used to describe Aaron Van Klaveren. Not only is Van Klaveren a senior captain for the Cal Lutheran men's basketball team, he is taking 19 units in school and working three part-time jobs.

"I like to stay busy," Van Klaveren said, stating the obvious. "I really like the challenge of doing so many things."

Van Klaveren does plenty on the court for the Kingsmen. Despite his exhausting schedule, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward still finds enough energy to lead CLU in scoring (17.5 points) and rebounding (8.3).

"I think my role is pretty much the same as it has been the last three years, but just more amplified," Van Klaveren said. "I am taking more of a leadership role this year and doing everything I can to help the team win as well as encouraging guys who are younger and going through the stages I've already been through."

Van Klaveren is a business administration major with an emphasis in finance. He has taken at least 18 units every semester since he arrived at CLU.

He had the chance to graduate early, but chose to wait until the spring.

"My goal has always been to play four years of college basketball, so I stuck around an extra semester to complete that," he said. "I am really glad I made that decision because I am having a lot of fun already this season with the guys."

If Van Klaveren is not practicing or studying, he is usually working.

The Madera native has part-time jobs at a real estate office, on CLU's campus and at a local farm.

Farming is in Van Klaveren's family. His father is a farmer and Van Klaveren grew up working on the land.

"My dad is getting older and my older brother and I would like to start taking over his farm and growing it," Van Klaveren said. "We want to make it a much larger corporation than it is now and start working on that."

Van Klaveren's country-strong attributes are evident on the court, but he is trying to become even more aggressive this season.

"I've been fairly timid in the past, not wanting to offend people by shooting too much," he said. "But this year, I have realized I need to take the bull by the horns and shoot some shots I may not have in the past and get on some guys when they are not performing well."

Cal Lutheran has started the season 2-2 with a roster featuring five freshmen.

"Right now we are battling with a lack of experience with some of the younger guys because they are not quite up to speed with the college level," Van Klaveren said. "But the first four games have laid a promising foundation to establish something to build on for the rest of the season. It should be all tuned in by the time conference comes around."

Van Klaveren feels an extra sense of urgency this season because his career is winding down.

"It went by really fast," he said. "I absolutely do feel like I have accomplished something with a successful four-year collegiate career, but I want to do well my senior year. It's probably my last opportunity to play basketball, and it would be nice to bring home a SCIAC Championship."