The Master’s Press Ruffles CLC, 83-70

The Master’s College used a pressure man-to-man defense to gain a 13-0 lead and carried it through for an 83-70 win Saturday night over Cal Lutheran in the consolation game of the Pomona-Pitzer Tournament in Claremont.

Cal Poly Pomona later defeated Pomona-Pitzer, 73-66, for the tournament championship.

The full-court pressure from The Master’s (4-5) flustered Cal Lutheran (2-6) and forced four straight Kingsmen turnovers that resulted in Mustang baskets three minutes into the first half.

At that point, The Master’s Coach Randy Stem looked up at the scoreboard and saw that his team was up by 13.

“We jumped out quick and that was the ball game,” Stem said. “We’re not big and we’re not quick. I tell our kids that if we play pressure defense, we can win.”

The Mustangs’ win avenged an 80-72 loss to Cal Lutheran in the consolation game of the Claremont-Mudd Tournament earlier this season.

On Saturday night, the Mustangs were led by two freshman guards who provided the spark on offense and defense.

James Robinson was the leading scorer with 20 points, and Jeff Boehm scored 14 points and forced many of Cal Lutheran’s 25 turnovers.

“We just weren’t ready to play when the game began, and I take responsibility for that,” said Cal Lutheran Coach Ed Anderson, whose team has lost five straight. “They blew us out early and it was an uphill battle from there. They wouldn’t let us back in the game.”

Cal Lutheran played the Mustangs almost even following the initial 13-0 outburst. The Kingsmen closed to within four points, at 57-53, with 13 minutes left in the game, but Boehm, Pete Coeler and Phil Hahn made consecutive baskets for the Mustangs to pump the lead back to 10 points.