The Tigers entered tonight’s game tied with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at the top of SCIAC, and with tonight’s win they held on to their spot at the top while improving to 8-1 in conference play. Occidental is now 17-3 overall. The Kingsmen fell to 4-5 in SCIAC play and 8-12 overall.
Sam Betty led all scorers with 16 points for Occidental, and he also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. Connor Whitman and Zach Phillips also scored in double digits for the Tigers with 13 and 10 respectively. Phillips was one rebound away from a double-double with nine total. Freshman Zach Miller continued to show improvement for the Kingsmen, scoring 11 points with 12 rebounds, two blocked shots, and one steal. Deshion Inniss also scored 11 for CLU.
The Tigers led 23-22 going into halftime, but they broke out in the second half to gain a significant lead and not give it up. With 7:17 remaining in the second half, Occidental went on a 13-0 run and CLU was never able to recover. The game was tied at 33 with just over 12 minutes left, but the Kingsmen simply could not counter the Tigers’ offensive surge later in the game. Much of Occidental’s success was due to being able to control the ball. The Tigers turned the ball over just five times, but the Kingsmen finished with 13.
CLU will face La Verne on the road this Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. The next home game for the Kingsmen will be Saturday, February 18 when they host Pomona-Pitzer.