Difficult Tests Await CLU, Master’s

Both the Cal Lutheran and The Master’s College basketball programs have been on the upswing. Whether they can go higher will be determined tonight in playoff games against tough opponents.

Cal Lutheran won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in its first season in the conference and received the SCIAC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Kingsmen had a bye in the first round and now will play at third-ranked UC San Diego. Tipoff is 7:30.

San Diego (22-4), an independent and the West region defending champion, is riding a 17-game winning streak but has not played since Feb. 22.

Chris Moore, a 6-foot-6 junior forward, leads San Diego in scoring with 16.5 points a game and averages 6.2 rebounds. Rick Batt, a 6-foot-7 senior center, averages a team-leading 6.6 rebounds and is second in scoring at 13.2.

Cal Lutheran (15-11, 11-3 in the SCIAC) has never beaten San Diego, and the Tritons defeated the Kingsmen twice this season, 67-65 on Dec. 27, and 83-71 on Jan. 8. Each time, Cal Lutheran guard Jeff deLaveaga, the leading scorer in Division III with a 29.0 average, was held to 21 points.

After Cal Lutheran’s second loss to San Diego, the Kingsmen were 3-8 and at their nadir. Since, they have gone 12-3 and are on a four-game winning streak.

Third-seeded Master’s (21-10, 11-2 in district play) will play second-seeded Westmont (19-10, 10-5) in an NAIA District 3 semifinal at 6 at Whittier College. The Mustangs recorded their first National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics playoff victory in school history Tuesday, beating Cal Baptist, 61-58, in the first round.

Senior forward Jason Webster averages 17 points for Master’s. Chris Brown, a senior guard, leads Westmont’s balanced attack with 14.4 points a game. Six others average better than seven points.