THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.  –  The Luther College men's basketball team was looking to end the 2022 calendar year on a high note. The Norse were hoping to leave the California Lutheran Tournament with a 2-0 record to earn their third and fourth wins of the 2022-23 season. While Luther won its first game of the tournament Wednesday evening, the Norse were unable to come away with a victory on Thursday, falling to the host Kingsmen by a final score of 64-51. With the loss, the Norse's record standings at 3-9 and the team in 0-4 in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play. 

BY THE NUMBERS 
The Norse held the upper hand over Cal Lutheran at the start of the game, as the visitors raced out to a 10-7 lead five minutes into regulation. The Kingsmen, though, could not be contained for long. When Luther's offense went cold, Cal Lutheran took advantage, going on a 9-0 run over the course of four minutes to take a 19-10 lead over the Norse. By the 10 minute mark, the Kingsmen were up 21-12 and had their opponent seemingly on the ropes. 

Using baskets from Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College), Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) and Daniel Webster (Plano, Texas / St. Ignatius), Luther slowly but surely chipped away at Cal Lutheran's lead, eventually cutting the deficit to  26-22 by 6:32 in the first half. The Kingsmen responded by going on another 9-0 run, but the Norse were once again able to close the gap. Rebounding played a key role in Luther's last minute run, as it kept Cal Lutheran from scoring and allowed the Norse to cut the deficit to 31-27 by halftime.

A comeback seemed to be a real possibility early in the second, as Luther pulled within two points of the Kingsmen on its very first offensive possession of the half. In fact, tho®ugh those first five minutes, the Norse were able to stay within a possession of Cal Lutheran, matching the Kingsmen shot for shot. However, a two-minute cold spell proved costly for Luther, as it allowed yet another Cal Lutheran run and bolster its lead to 10+ points. Unlike in the first half, the Norse were unable to recover, as they fell by a final score of 64-51.

TOP NORSE 

• Ben Gill  (Sydney, Australia / Newington College) put up season-high numbers against the Kingsmen. The junior scored a season-high 20 points on 10-13 shooting, marking his best performance of the 2022-23 season. 
• Mikkel Shutte (Houston, Minn. / Houston) led the team with an eight-rebound performance Thursday evening.

UP NEXT
Luther will return to Iowa and A-R-C play on Wednesday, as the team is set to face Loras College in its first game of 2023. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Decorah, Iowa.