There are 178,441 DIII student-athletes as compared to 459,253 in Division I and II combined from coast to coast. Division III, however, represents the largest division in the NCAA at 40 percent of the total membership.

The NCAA sponsors 28 Championship events with 14 for men and 14 for women. There are also eight National Collegiate Championships. Overall, CLU sponsors 20 intercollegiate athletic programs, which is above the average (17) of like institutions.

Cal Lutheran is one of the 80 percent of active institutions that are private with 20 percent of DIII schools on public campuses. Across the board the average enrollment of Division III schools is 2,734.

All of the schools that fall in the Division III category are expected to promote the model of discover, develop and dedicate. CLU is right on track with that mantra by succeeding academically and athletically while giving back to the community.

In 2013 there will be CLU 147 student-athletes inducted into the Scholar Athlete Society by holding a 3.40 or higher cumulative grade point average. This number is higher than it has ever been and numerous student-athletes throughout the season have earned both Academic All-SCIAC and other sport specific academic accolades.

CLU teams have been just as successful on the field, court, course and in the pool with 10 teams earning national rankings in 2012-13. Both men’s golf and women’s water polo have held No. 1 rankings in their respective polls this year. CLU teams have claimed four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) titles thus far with four teams and one athlete advancing to NCAA Championship play. The spring sports have much hope to increase those numbers with more than half of the teams in the hunt for a league title.

Beyond those two areas, CLU students have also taken time to give back. One example is the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) that is headed in 2012-13 by Lauren Rasmussen. She and the other SAAC members have put together a community service project in conjunction with DIII Week.

The group is scheduled to do a Ball and Old Sports Equipment Drive throughout the week of April 8-12. Items will be collected both at the Welcome Desk of the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center during all hours of operation and in the Athletics Offices during operating business hours (9-5). Additionally, SAAC members will be stationed at the flagpole on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to collect items. All donations will be delivered to the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Conejo Valley.

“The biggest thing with this event is that it is something that the SAAC wants to turn into an annual event during DIII Week and we are really excited about it,” Rasmussen said. “The connection to athletics with equipment collection, plus the opportunity to give back to the community by donating items that student-athletes are involved with competitively every day is very rewarding.”

Student Life will be sponsoring a series of student giveaways at a variety of athletic events during Division III Week as well.

Cal Lutheran sunglasses will be given out at Men’s Tennis against No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the Poulson Tennis Center to kick off the weekend. On Wednesday, April 10 the water polo team will host Caltech and rally towels will be handed out at the entrance to the Samuelson Aquatics Center. Women’s Tennis fans will have a chance to claim sunglasses on Friday, April 12 when the Regals host Occidental at 2:00 p.m. At Hutton Field softball will host Redlands where seat cushions will be available for student fans at 2:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m. in Ullman Stadium baseball fans can obtain a stadium cup as the Kingsmen host Whittier. Additionally, free Shave It coupons will be distributed to the first 250 students at any of the games.

Finally, the dining commons will be offering sports themed meals and snacks throughout the week, including a nacho bar, Dodger Dogs, peanuts and popcorn, BBQ Tri-Tip sandwiches and soft pretzels with cheese sauce.

“Excitement is beginning to be generated around Division III week on campus,” Director of Athletics Dan Kuntz shared. “We are looking forward to being a part of this unique campaign to promote Division III and the student-athletes we support year in and year out.”

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A D3hoops.com record 729 players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools nationwide and voted on by SIDs.

Wright becomes a two-time All-West Region recipient after being named to the First Team in 2010-11. She also wrapped up her third First Team All-SCIAC selection earlier this month.

In 25 games, 24 starts, she scored 402 points this winter to average 16.1 points per game. Wright was 52.3 percent from the field with four three-pointers. She went to the free-throw line 145 times, converting 104 for a 71.7 percent average. Against La Verne she scored a season-high 34 points.

Wright nearly averaged a double-double with 9.7 rebounds per game as she tallied 242 total boards with her offensive rebounds outnumbering her defensive ones 126-116. Her season-high rebounding game came against Whittier as she grabbed 17.

Ten times in 2012-13 she did record a double-double for Cal Lutheran. Additionally, she handed out 22 assists and recorded 19 blocks with 27 steals for the Regals.

In her career she scored 1,043 total points and also grabbed 581 career rebounds with more offensive (297) than defensive. Wright now ranks 10^th all-time in CLU history in scoring, 7^th in rebounding and is 9^th in field-goals made with 389.

She was part of a Cal Lutheran (23-5) senior class that produced 74 victories in four-years with two SCIAC Post Season Tournament titles (2012 and 2013), two NCAA appearances (2012 and 2013) and a SCIAC championship in 2012-13.

Joining Wright on All-West Region Teams from the SCIAC were Makenzie Brandon (Occidental) and Kimi Takaoka (Chapman) who landed on the First and Third Teams, respectively.

The West Region Player of the Year was Kate Nielsen (Simpson) the Rookie of the Year went to Rachel Parupsky (Bethel) and Brian Niemuth (Simpson) was named the Coach of the Year.

Release: 2013 All-West Region Team
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Starla Wright and Erica Whitley were named to the First Team with Channing Fleischmann earning Second Team recognition. Both Wright and Whitley started in 15 of the 16 SCIAC games in which she played during the 2012-13 season while Fleischmann was on the floor for tip-off in all 16 contests.

Leading the Regals at both ends of the court was Wright who becomes a three-time First Team All-SCIAC recipient, garnering the honor in 2010 and 2011. As a senior she averaged a double-double with 16.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in league play. She finished with a 52.5 field goal percentage. At the line she added 72 free-throws. In six games Wright tallied 20 or more points with a season-high coming on Jan. 12 against La Verne when she netted 34. Of her 160 total rebounds, 81 came on the offensive end of the court for the Regals. Eight times she tallied double-figure rebounds with her season-high 17 coming at Whittier on Jan. 31. Additionally, Wright tallied a team-high 14 blocks during conference contests and handed out 14 assists with 13 steals.

Wright was a three-time SCIAC Athlete of the Week this winter and used her senior year to surpass the 1,000-point plateau, scoring 1,043 career points with 581 career rebounds (297 offensive) to finished tenth and seventh, respectively, all-time in CLU history. She is now also ninth in field goals made with 389.

Whitley earns her second consecutive First Team nod after being a Second Team selection in 2010. This year she nearly averaged 10 ppg with 9.6. She shot 39.5 percent from the floor, connecting for 14 three-pointers. Six times she reached double-figures and turned in a season-high 29-point performance on the final night of the regular season, and ultimately the last game of her collegiate career, against La Verne. The senior ranked second on the team to Wright in rebounds as well, with 108 total, for an average of 6.8 per game. She grabbed double figures four times with a season-high 14 at Chapman on December 15. Defensively, Whitley was a nuisance and was one of the toughest to play against throughout the season. She blocked 11 shots and came away with a team-high 48 steals, forcing many more. At Whittier on Jan. 10 she finished with a season-high eight steals for the Regals. Whitley also handed out 44 assists, second on the squad to Alex Nelson (45), with seven against La Verne on Jan. 12.

Overall in her career, Whitley ranks second in school history with 258 steals, sixth with 104 made three-point field goals and ninth with 544 rebounds.

Rounding out the selections was Fleischmann who became a two-time Second Team member by averaging 8.2 ppg with a three-point field goal percentage of 35.4 in SCIAC action. She connected for 23 from long range during her final campaign. In six games she surpassed the 10-point plateau, recording a season-high 17 points twice. The first time was on Dec. 6 against Pomona-Pitzer with the second occurring at Caltech on Jan. Fleischmann was third on the team with 89 total boards for 5.6 rpg. In back-to-back games against La Verne and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps she grabbed 10 rebounds for a season-high. She also added 17 steals, nine assists and five blocks to her stat line this winter.

Fleischmann finishes her career five rebounds shy of 500 with 495 to place tenth in school history, while also ranking seventh in both three-point field goals made (97) and career blocks (44).

Makenzie Brandon, from Occidental, repeated as the 2012-13 women’s basketball Player of the Year while Sandra Gao of Chapman was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year and Anne Yoshimura from Chapman took home the Ed Baldwin Memorial Award.   

Cal Lutheran (23-5, 13-3 SCIAC) won the SCIAC regular season in 2012-13 and went on to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by locking up their second consecutive SCIAC Post Season Tournament title.

Release: 2013 All-SCIAC Team
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The Regals lost to No. 25 Whitman 61-37 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament at Lewis & Clark University in Portland, Ore.

In losing in the opening round for the second straight year, CLU (23-5) was denied a chance to break the program’s single-season wins record. The Regals finish tied with the 1994-95 team that finished 23-3.

The loss ended the careers of CLU’s seniors, who won 74 games in their four seasons. The win total ranks second all-time behind the 2001 class (77).

“It was really hard in the locker room. It took me and a few other teammates a while to take off our jerseys because it’s the last time we will take off an official jersey,” CLU senior Starla Wright said. “It’s hard to think that you are not going to come back to an organized sport. All the hard work and fight and tears that go into this every day make it really special.”

Whitman (21-5) was making its first NCAA tournament appearance in program history, but didn’t show many rookie jitters.

The Missionaries used a strong defensive performance to deny CLU its first NCAA victory in 13 years.

CLU shot only 20.4 percent from the field (11 of 54), including just 1 for 18 from behind the 3-point line. The Regals were outrebounded 45-34 and committed 15 turnovers.

Senior guard Jazmyne Porter led CLU with 12 points while Rachel Heagy and Wright each scored eight points.

CLU was playing its third game without senior guard Erica Whitley, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the regular-season finale.

But even Whitley’s presence might not have been enough to spark CLU’s offense.

The Regals trailed 33-18 at halftime and made only 4 of 23 shots through the first 20 minutes.

They didn’t improve much in the second half, and were left with another early flight home from the state of Oregon.

“I feel like on defense we didn’t really get after it like we should have initially. We talk all the time about how good defense leads to great offense and I don’t think we got the necessary stops to do that early,” Wright said. “I must say we had good looks and everything, but they just weren’t falling.”

Aside from the early NCAA tournament exit, CLU achieved some memorable milestones this season.

The Regals captured the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2006 and won the SCIAC tournament title for the second straight year.

“That definitely means something,” Wright said. “I might, as coach says, have amnesia about this last game. I am really proud of my team for making it this far and finally winning a SCIAC regular-season title. That is a great accomplishment.”

The senior guard was fighting until the very last play to help the Regals capture a regular-season conference championship.

Although CLU secured the 81-78 win over La Verne, the Regals suffered a major loss with Whitley tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

The career-ending injury means Whitley won’t be able to enjoy the spoils of postseason play.

The St. Bonaventure High graduate will be in street clothes on Friday night when CLU (23-4) plays Whitman College (20-4) in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament at Lewis & Clark University in Portland, Ore.

The Regals can set the single-season program record for victories with a first-round victory.

“It’s heartbreaking Erica can’t play because she is someone who deserves to be in the spotlight of the NCAA tournament,” CLU head coach Roy Dow. “But she would be the first to tell you the spotlight belongs on the team. She wants people to see this team is among the best in the country.”

Whitley tore her ACL in the final minute of CLU’s title-clinching victory while jumping to make a pass and getting hit by a defender on the landing.

Some might view it as bad timing, but Whitley has taken the opposite approach.

“I was just glad it wasn’t at the beginning or the middle of our season and I actually got to finish out the regular season of my senior year,” she said. “Even though I don’t get to play in the tournament, I am grateful it didn’t happen sooner in my life.”

But that doesn’t mean Whitley is happy about her situation.

“Oh my gosh, you don’t even know how frustrating it is not to be out there helping my team,” she said. “I want to play so bad, but I don’t want to risk further injury that would impact me the rest of my life.”

Whitley traveled with the team to Oregon, and will serve as an extra coach on the bench.

The Regals already won two games without Whitley in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament to clinch an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

“I will be more like the eyes on the team. I will tell the girls something to motivate them and keep them going,” Whitley said. “Sometimes you don’t see certain things on the court and having somebody who is telling you who is not a coach can make them embrace it more.”

A few years ago, Whitley probably wouldn’t have been able to offer much advice to her teammates. But she has grown by leaps and bounds on and off the court while attending CLU.

“I was a wreck coming in here my first year,” said Whitley, a multimedia major with an emphasis in graphic design. “I was like a chicken with my head cut off and super-hyper and wild and really immature. I went through a really hard time my freshman and sophomore years, but it helped me get to the point where I am today. I always took criticism really hard, but now I take it as a learning step and that will help me transition into working in an office.”

Whitley is part of one of the most successful senior classes in program history. The group has won 74 games, which ranks second all-time behind the 2001 class (77).

Whitley will leave CLU with the second most career steals and ranked in the top 10 in 3-point field goals made and rebounds.

Despite her career ending a few games prematurely, Whitley has no regrets.

“How many seniors can say they won the conference tournament and got into the NCAA playoffs their last two years? To me, that is a really big deal,” she said. “It’s amazing because a lot of people don’t even get to play basketball beyond high school. I am just so glad I had this opportunity at Cal Lu. I am glad I chose to come here because it’s more like a family.”

That is the reason Whitley will be on the bench supporting her teammates as they try to advance beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 13 years.

“I know the feeling of being done and I don’t want them to feel the way I do yet,” Whitley said. “I want them to keep playing. I want them to feel accomplished.”

One team boarded a bus. One team boarded a plane. One team was ranked nationally. One team deserves to be. One team is making their first NCAA appearance. One team has been here before. Both teams reached the 20-win plateau, but only one will advance to the second round set for Saturday evening.

For the second time in as many years Cal Lutheran (23-4) has punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season Tournament title.

In 2012-13 the Regals earned the SCIAC title by posting a 13-3 league mark. Cal Lutheran went on to defeat Occidental, 69-67 in overtime, and Chapman, 59-54, in the SCIAC Post Season Tournament to be crowned champions and earn the automatic bid into the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Last Saturday evening CLU not only clinched their eight NCAA berth in school history but the 2012-13 squad secured its place in the Cal Lutheran record books with the victory, by matching the win-total of the 1994-95 team that went 23-3 overall.

Senior Starla Wright has led the offense 14 times this winter with a season-high 34 points against La Verne as she averages 16.4 points per game. Additionally she has paced the defense by leading the team in rebounding 17 times with a season-high 17 boards against Whittier. Of her 238 rebounds, 123 have come on the offensive end of the floor for an average of 9.9 rebounds per game. Wright has recorded 10 double-doubles and is second on the squad with 19 blocked shots.

Also averaging double-figures for the Regals this season is Erica Whitley with 10.3 ppg game. The senior guard has team-highs of 20 blocks and 76 steals while ranking second to Wright with 6.8 rpg and to Alex Nelson with 68 assists. Nelson has handed out a team-leading 77 assists while pouring in 6.0 ppg. Nelson and Keeley Anderson are both three-point threats for Cal Lutheran.

Channing Fleischmann has averaged 9.2 ppg with 5.5 rpg and a total of 32 steals and 10 blocks. Jazmyne Porter and Rachel Heagy have each played a key role off the bench for CLU. Porter has recorded 43 steals, 60 assists and 8.2 ppg while Heagy is averaging 8.6 ppg with a team-high 57.7 field goal percentage. Natalie Stone has dished out 67 assists and come away with 38 steals as a sophomore. 

Whitman (20-5) earned an at-large Pool C bid, joining two other teams from the Northwest Conference.

The Missionaries have been led by a pair of players who have each started all 25 games this season for Whitman. Junior forward Sarah Anderegg is averaging 13.4 points per game while sophomore guard Heather Jones has poured in 11.8 ppg. Anderegg is shooting at a 53.1 clip from the field. Mary Madden and Tiffany Traver have added 8.2 and 8.1 ppg, respectively this season for WC, and are each three-point shooting threats with 20 and 30 buckets from long range. Jones has handed out a team-leading 86 assists this winter while Traver has tallied 69.

Junior center Meghan White is the Missionaries toughest defensive threat with 8.4 rebounds per game to go along with 32 blocks and 16 steals while adding 7.0 ppg. Anderegg has recorded 19 blocks with 39 steals. Leading the Missionaries in steals is Jones with 48 and Traver has come away with 28.

Four of the five WC starters have been on the floor for tip-off all 25 times with Madden starting all 23 games in which she appeared.

The winning team will advance to play the winner of the other first round game at the 2,200 seat Pamplin Sports Center between Trinity (Tex.) and No. 13 Lewis & Clark on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the second round of action.

Tickets will be sold at the door with prices set at $10 (adults), $4 (children 12 and under) and $3 (students, seniors, military with ID). Gates are set to open one hour prior to tip-off.

NCAA Bracket: 2013 NCAA Playoffs
Lewis & Clark Tournament Central: Rounds 1-2
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Every high point has been followed by a low point, and every low point has been followed by a high point.

A few hours after an important road victory over Occidental, the Regals were informed former assistant coach Monica Quan and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, had been shot to death by former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner.

In the final minute of their conference title-clinching victory over La Verne, senior guard Erica Whitley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee.

One day after capturing the conference tournament title to earn an NCAA berth, CLU head coach Roy Dow spoke at Quan’s memorial service.

Despite these wild vacillations, CLU managed to have one of its most successful seasons.

The Regals captured the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2006 and clinched the SCIAC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division IIII tournament for the second straight season by winning the SCIAC tournament.

The NCAA pairings were released Monday, and CLU plays No. 25 Whitman (Ore.) College in the first round on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Lewis & Clark University in Portland, Ore.

Host Lewis & Clark plays Trinity (Texas) in the regional’s other game. The winners will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday.

“The success we’ve had means a lot — a lot — because the girls know Monica was very special to me,” Dow said. “It really means something to Monica’s parents that we were able to do this as well because they were such big supporters when she was here and remained big supporters once she left.”

Navigating the final five games of the season through the tragedy wasn’t something Dow could read about in a coaching manual.

“The Monica Quan thing sort of defies any sort of training from previous life experiences,” Dow said. “I had to just figure out day by day how to address that in a team environment. The first day we met it was really raw and we had some former players who knew Monica come back to meet with us. We acknowledged that something terrible happened and tried to figure out how to go from there.”

Dow received reassurance in a text message from Quan’s parents.

“They told us Monica would want us to keep going and not let it change anything about what we were doing,” Dow said. “She would want us to keep playing and keep focused on winning.”

Cal Lutheran will carry that message into the NCAA tournament. The Regals (23-4) have tied the program record for single-season wins, and believe they can notch the record-breaker against Whitman.

CLU lost in the first round on the road last season, but return seven seniors with an added year of maturity and more experience in dealing with adversity.

“I am confident about my own team,” Dow said. “We got our feet wet last year and the feeling of what it was like to play somebody on their home floor on the road. I have a lot of trust in my team and they deserve to be trusted for everything they have done.”

For the second straight year the Regals clinched an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament by capturing the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament title.

Bolstered by 18 points from senior guard Jazmyne Porter, top-seeded CLU defeated No. 2 Chapman 59-54 in the championship game Saturday night at Gilbert Arena.

CLU (23-4) will find out its first-round NCAA tournament opponent Monday afternoon when the draw is released.

Last season, CLU captured the SCIAC tournament title as a No. 4 seed with both games on the road.

But this season CLU was able to celebrate its championship at home by virtue of capturing the SCIAC regular-season title for the first time since 2006.

CLU and Chapman (21-6) split the regular-season series, and CLU won the rubber match with a second-half rally.

CLU trailed Chapman 14-3 in the first half and 26-23 at halftime. But the Regals fought back to take a seven-point lead and held off Chapman by hitting free throws down the stretch.

The Regals finished 20 for 26 from the free-throw line, including 13 of 16 in the second half.

Channing Fleischmann scored 12 points and Starla Wright grabbed 10 rebounds for the Regals.

Kimi Takaoka led Chapman with 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 5 of 12 from behind the 3-point line.

CLU managed to defend its SCIAC tournament title despite playing without senior guard Erica Whitley, who injured her knee in the regular-season finale last weekend against La Verne.

The St. Bonaventure High graduate was averaging 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team-leading 30.2 minutes per game for the Regals.

Chapman came out fired up, using a 10-1 run to take a 14-3 advantage at the 13:40 mark of the opening half in a pressure-packed game for both teams. Starla Wright scored in the paint to get the CLU offense going as the Regals went on to score the next seven points unanswered. Just when Cal Lutheran got themselves within striking distance at 14-10, Chapman responded with four more points of their own to push the gap to eight-points at 18-10.

That was the largest difference on the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest.

With 5:01 in the first period Wright layed in the second of her two buckets in the half to knot things at 19-19. The teams would play back-and-forth basketball for the next five minutes. Alex Nelson hit a pair of free-throws to tie things at 23-23 and it looked as the teams would be even at the intermission but Kimi Takaoka scored the final three points of her first half output with a long bucket at the buzzer to give the Panthers a slight 26-23 edge.

After the break Takaoa added to the lead with a pair of free-throws for a 28-23 CU advantage, but CLU stormed back.

Channing Fleischmann hit a three-pointer followed by a layup from Natalia Stone and a pair of free-throws from Fleischmann were good before and Jazmyne Porter and Wright layups turned the deficit into a seven-point CLU lead with 13:18 to play in regulation.

The Panthers continued to look to Takaoka who gave CU a 38-37 lead on a jumper, which would be the final time Chapman would lead.

Porter got the CLU crowd on its feet on the next possession when she drove through traffic for a layup and drew a foul, converting the and-one.

Takaoka knocked down a three-pointer at 7:51 to tie the teams for the fifth time in the game, at 40-40, but it was the Regals who closed the game out.

Porter broke the tie with another bucket on which she was fouled to get the crowd loud and on its feet. At 2:41 Fleischmann scored from long range on an assist from Stone.

As expected, the final 51 seconds saw a number of fouls and free-throws. CLU was 9-for-10 down the stretch.

CLU was leading 52-49 with 43 seconds to play after Fleischmann hit two from the charity stripe when Porter turned the ball over under the Panthers net. Unrattled she immediately forced a turnover and got the steal. Stone was then fouled and put both in to make it a two possession game.

Stone went on to convert two more with 20 ticks to play and Porter tacked on two at the 13 second mark to make it a seven-point game and all but lock up the victory.  

Takaoka led all players with 32 points, including five three-pointers, as the only CU player to reach double figures two nights after all five starters scored more than 10 points. Anne Yoshimura handed out a game-high five assists for a CU team that shot 37.7 percent from the floor this evening.

Porter led the Regals with 18 points on 5-for-11 shooting and a 7-for-8 night at the line. She handed out a team-high four assists as well, coming away with a huge steal and six rebounds. Fleischmann also broke into double digits with 12 points, hitting two three-pointers while Nelson and Stone each tallied eight and Wright chipped in with seven. The Regals combined to shoot 38.6 percent from the field and connected for 76.9 percent of their free-throw attempts.

Defensively CLU had one more rebound, 34, than Chapman, though the Panthers grabbed seven offensive boards to the Regals’ six. Wright and Sandra Gao shared the game-high with 10 apiece, though Wright came down with five at each end and she added a block. Rachel Heagy also recorded a block for CLU.

Cal Lutheran (23-4) earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament set to begin March 1. Chapman (21-6) still has an outside chance to earn a Pool C bid.  The selection show for the field of 64-teams will be announced on Monday at 11:30 a.m. PST.

Box Score: CLU 59, CLU 54
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Last year Cal Lutheran won the event and is now one victory away from earning back-to-back automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 seeded Cal Lutheran (22-4) will host No. 2 seeded Chapman (21-5) in the championship game. During the regular season the teams split with each team winning at home. Early in the season CU upended CLU 75-71 at the Hutton Center before CLU earned a 52-49 home victory on Jan. 19.  

Coming off an adrenalin filled game with a packed crowd supporting the Regals, Cal Lutheran will return to their home floor to host a Chapman team that extended their win-streak to nine with their come-from-behind effort.

CLU had strong performances across the board as each player to step on the court contributed. Starla Wright and Channing Fleischmann each recorded a double-double and Keeley Anderson chipped in with 11 points. Wright shared the game-high with 20 points, adding 13 rebounds, which included eight offensive, as well as a block, a steal and an assist. Fleischmann tallied 17 points with 13 boards, three assists and a pair of steals. Anderson and Natalie Stone each had six rebounds and Stone hit a clutch three-pointer, also going 3-for-3 at the free-throw line for the Regals. In her first start of the season Jazmyne Porter assumed a huge role and produced with a game-high four assists and three steals while adding seven points and eight rebounds. Alex Nelson came up huge in the end with a block that secured the win after scoring seven points and coming away with both two steals and two assists. Rachel Heagy scored four points with two rebounds, a block and an assist in just 15 minutes of action. CLU shot 32.8 percent from the flop, hitting 80.6 percent of their free-throws as a unit.

At Chapman five different Panthers reached double figures with Anne Yoshimura leading the pack with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting with two assists. Andrea Villanueva scored 14 and Sandra Gao, Emily McCoy and Kimi Takakoa each tallied 11. Gao had a game-high nine rebounds and added a pair of steals. Villanueva led all players with four steals and had two blocks as did Takakoa. CU shot 45.3 percent from the field and just 60 percent from the charity stripe.

Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Gilbert Arena. Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff with ID receive free admittance. Admission for all others is $5. Merchandise will also be sold. Doors will open at 4:00 p.m.

Visitor Information: Thousand Oaks Campus
Campus Map: CLU Campus
Website: Cal Lutheran Women’s Basketball
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Senior guard Erica Whitley suffered a knee injury in CLU’s regular-season finale last Saturday. The St. Bonaventure High graduate was averaging 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a team-leading 30.2 minutes per game for the Regals.

With Whitley limping near the bench with a knee brace, her teammates did their best to fill the void to start the postseason.

Top-seeded CLU opened its SCIAC tournament title defense with a 69-67 overtime victory over No. 4 Occidental at Gilbert Arena on Thursday night.

The Regals (22-4) will be playing for the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament on Saturday night at 5 when they host No. 2 Chapman.

Chapman beat No. 3 Redlands 64-62 in the other semifinal.

“We are one of the toughest teams in the country and we lost one of the best players in the country and still won,” CLU head coach Roy Dow said. “Erica Whitley is one of the best defenders in the country period. She is absolutely the best perimeter defender in the country without argument. There is no peer. But we had other players come through.”

Despite sweeping Occidental (16-10) in the regular season, CLU didn’t take a third victory over the Tigers for granted.

CLU was a No. 4 seed last season when it recorded two road upsets to win the SCIAC tournament title, including a victory over then top-seeded Occidental.

This year’s tournament rematch was nip and tuck throughout.

CLU senior Starla Wright gave CLU a 30-27 advantage heading into halftime by scoring on a rebound putback just before the buzzer.

The Regals took a seven-point lead on a 3-pointer by Natalie Stone at the 8:38 mark of the second half before Occidental gradually chipped away at CLU’s lead.

Occidental tied the game at 60-60 with 14 seconds left when Makenzie Brandon found Marquisha Corley for a wide-open layup.

Alex Nelson’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer for CLU rimmed out to send the game into overtime.

CLU led the majority of the final five minutes. Keeley Anderson hit one of two free throws for to give CLU a 69-67 lead with 14.1 seconds left.

Occidental went for the win, but Liz Little’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was partially blocked by Nelson to help CLU survive and advance.

Wright scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead CLU, which captured the SCIAC regular-season title outright. Channing Fleischmann added 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Brandon had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Occidental and Elizabeth Messick scored 15 points.

“I think this win was huge tonight, especially with the loss of Erica defensively trying to stop Makenzie Brandon,” Fleischmann said. “She was our biggest concern and Erica usually matches up with her. But we had more than two people step up and it was just a big team effort.”

Although CLU wants to ensure its NCAA tournament fate by winning the tournament for the second straight year, Dow believes the Regals have clearly stated their case for entry.

“I think we are in,” Dow said. “I think we are in the NCAA tournament right now. Our rèsumè speaks for itself.”

In a rematch of the 2012 SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinal and a matchup of the last two SCIAC champions, the contest saw 16 ties and a gap of no more than eight points as Cal Lutheran made one more play than the Occidental tonight in overtime to advance to the championship game against Chapman on Saturday, Feb. 23.

The evenly matched teams from Cal Lutheran and Occidental shot 32.8 and 32.9 percent from the floor, respectively, with the Regals out-rebounding the Tigers 53-42 with 18 offensive boards tonight. The squads combined for 12 blocks and 22 steals in a game that saw 37 turnovers.

With only six points scored in the first five minutes, it was a defensive battle as neither team found an offensive rhythm. After the initial media timeout of the game, the teams each got in their respective grooves and going into the second media the squads were knotted at 15-15.

Never separated by more than three points in the half, CLU and Oxy were tied nine times, in the opening 20 minutes of action. For Cal Lutheran, Starla Wright poured in 12 first half points while Occidental was led by Makenzie Brandon with 10 as each tallied a total of 20 to share the game-high.

Rachel Heagy broke a 21-21 tie with a layup under the basket at the 4:53 mark and got the energetic CLU crowd on its feet. Marquisha Corley made it even exactly a minute later and on the ensuing Regals possession Alex Nelson converted an offensive rebound from Keeley Anderson into three points. Cal Lutheran trailed by a point when Channing Fleischmann stepped up to the free-throw line with 1:10 to play in the first half and took the lead as she connected for both. The Regals added to the advantage when Wright came down with the last of 13 first-half offensive rebounds and layed the ball in as time expired to put the home team up by three at 30-27 entering the intermission.

Occidental came out fired up and quickly took a lead on back-to-back possessions, but it was the Regals who would take control of the game with a 7-0 run mid-way through the second stanza. Fleischmann sparked the offensive output with a pair of layups, the second one an and-one before Anderson capped it off.

After the Tigers chipped back within four on a Michelle Naito-Lo basket, Natalie Stone countered with a three-pointer, giving CLU a 51-44 advantage with 8:47 in regulation.

At the two minute mark, Oxy senior defending SCIAC Player of the Year, Brandon scored one of her eight baskets from the floor to make it a one-point game and 45 seconds later Elizabeth Messick knocked down a pair of free-throws to tie things at 58-58 with 1:25 remaining.

Jazmyne Porter, who earned her first start of the season, was fouled and gave the Regals a 60-58 lead with 1:09 to go. CLU forced a turnover, but when the Tigers came down with a defensive rebound on the next CLU missed shot they called a timeout with 25 ticks to play. Brandon drove hard right, spun back left and found Corley for a wide-open layup with 14 seconds left. One last chance for Cal Lutheran was off target, sending the teams to overtime.

Though the Tigers won the tip, it was the Regals who reigned in the end, outscoring Oxy 9-7 in the five minute period. Nelson connected for a pair of free-throws at 2:09, the second giving CLU a three-point lead and Wright put the Violet and Gold up by the same margin after Brandon scored a bucket in between. Naito-Lo put in two free-throws to pull the Tigers within a point at 68-67 in overtime with 24 seconds on the clock.

On the final Tigers possession of the game, Brandon started at the top of the key, drove right and crossed back to her left but missed a runner in the lane. As Anderson came down with the rebound, Oxy fouled her with 14.3 seconds remaining.

The CLU sophomore made the first and missed the second, which was pulled down by Corley who quickly passed to Naito-Lo. The Occidental guard crossed half court slowly, setting up a dramatic ending. She tried to drive to the right, but was stopped by the CLU defense and forced to pass the ball to a guarded Liz Little with one second on the clock. Though Little tried to pump fake and took a bounce to her left in an attempt to find an open shot, she did not have enough time or space to get a good look as her shot was blocked by Nelson as the buzzer sounded, sending the CLU bench and fans into an uproar.

Finishing the game, and her career, with a double-double for Occidental, Brandon totaled 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals, but still the Regals kept her from being as productive as she has been throughout her four years in the SCIAC. Cal Lutheran did a good job of defending her tonight, despite being without senior guard Erica Whitley who head coach Roy Dow described as, “One of the toughest perimeter defenders in the nation.” Both Wright and Anderson stepped up and assumed that role and produced.

Wright led the Regals with 20 points and 13 rebounds, as she was effective on the offensive glass with eight and at the free throw line (8-for-10) for the Regals. Despite being defended by Messick, who has length and recorded four blocked shots in the opening frame, Wright, the most active player in the league scored 12 points and had five rebounds in the first half.

Also turning in a big game tonight was Fleischmann who finished with a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double. She added three assists and two steals to her line as well. Anderson also reached double figure scoring for the Regals with 11.

Porter played 35 minutes tonight, leading the team with both four assists and three steals while scoring seven points and coming down with eight rebounds.

For Occidental Messick recorded seven blocks and scored 15 points as the only other player in double digits.

Cal Lutheran has defeated Occidental five consecutive times dating back to 2012.

In the other semifinal game tonight No. 2 Chapman came back from a 33-22 halftime deficit to defeat No. 3 Redlands (19-7) by two points, 64-62, at the Hutton Center this evening.

Cal Lutheran (22-4) will host Chapman (21-5) on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Gilbert Arena for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off. The tournament champion will be guaranteed an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament set to begin March 1.

Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Gilbert Arena. Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff with ID receive free admittance. Admission for all others is $5. Merchandise will also be sold. Doors will open at 4:00 p.m.

Box Score: CLU 69, OXY 67 - OT
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Tonight No. 1 Cal Lutheran (21-4, 13-3 SCIAC) will host No. 4 Occidental (16-9, 11-5) for a showdown in the Gilbert Arena.  

Earlier this season CLU defeated Occidental 70-68 in the friendly confines of the Arena before heading out on the road to defeat the Tigers, 53-49, in a rowdy Rush Gymnasium.

The Cal Lutheran senior class of seven has accumulated a 72-32 overall record in four years with a 41-17 SCIAC mark between 2009-2013.

No. 2 Chapman (20-5, 12-4) is hosting No. 3 Redlands (19-6, 12-4) tonight at the Hutton Sports Center.

The two winning teams will meet on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the site of the highest remaining seed for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.

Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Gilbert Arena. Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff with ID receive free admittance. Admission for all others is $5. Merchandise will also be sold. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Visitor Information: Thousand Oaks Campus
Campus Map: CLU Campus
Website: Cal Lutheran Women’s Basketball
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With nine teams competing in the conference, some teams concluded the regular season on Saturday while others played Monday evening. With both ULV and Occidental earning victories Monday, their season marks were identical. The initial tiebreaker was a head-to-head, which they split, the second was their respective records against the top three teams, which were again equivalent and ultimately it came down to the flip of a coin at the SCIAC office this morning.

Cal Lutheran (21-4, 13-3 SCIAC) will host Occidental (16-9, 11-5) in one of two semifinal Post Season Tournament games. Another tie for second between Chapman (10-5, 12-4) and Redlands (19-6, 12-4) went to the Panthers who swept the season series against the Bulldogs to take the No. 2 seed. This is the first SCIAC Post Season appearance for Chapman since joining the conference.

The two winning teams will meet on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the site of the highest remaining seed for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.

CLU has defeated Occidental twice this year, 70-68 at home and 53-49 on the road.

Cal Lutheran has looked to senior Starla Wright throughout much of the season as she has averaged 16.7 points per game with 9.8 rebounds per game. Her 54.7 field goal percentage is second to classmate Rachel Heagy who is shooting 57.8 percent from the floor in 2012-13. Senior guard Erica Whitley is also averaging double figures with 10.3 ppg, adding 6.8 rpg for the Regals in her final campaign for the Violet and Gold. Heagy and Channing Fleischmann are averaging 8.9 and 8.8 ppg, respectively and Jazmyne Porter has poured in 7.8 per game for CLU. Point guard, Alex Nelson, has handed out 2.9 assists per game as she has totaled 73.

Defensively, four players are over 100 rebounds with Wright pulling down 215, including 110 offensive. Whitley has stolen the ball from the opposition 76 times and has recorded a team-high 20 blocks as well. Wright has 16 blocks and 26 steals. Also look for Porter to be a defensive nuisance as she has recorded 39 steals in 23 games.

For Occidental, two-time SCIAC Player of the Year, Makenzie Brandon, averages 21.8 points per game with a field goal percentage of 48.1. Elizabeth Messick is also over 10 ppg with 10.3 for the Tigers and is the leading rebounder for Oxy with 10.8 per game. Brandon has pulled down 9.5 rpg, adding a team-high 72 assists and 54 steals. Messick has been a defensive nightmare for her opponents as she has recorded 94 blocks this season. Katelyn Rowe has 53 blocks with 5.5 rpg as well. Liz Little, the Occidental point guard, has tallied 71 assists.

Tickets will be sold at the entrance to the Gilbert Arena. Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff with ID receive free admittance. Admission for all others is $5. Merchandise will also be sold. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

The winner of the SCIAC Post Season Tournament will earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament set to begin March 1.

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In their final regular season game for the Regals, the senior duo of Erica Whitley and Starla Wright combined for 55 points, scoring 29 and 26, respectively. Whitley recorded a season-high on 10-for-19 shooting while Wright was 10-for-14 from the field. Each senior was 6-for-6 at the charity stripe and Wright added nine rebounds, a block and a steal while Whitley handed out four assists with four steals and six boards.

After Wrightscored the first basket of the evening, the Leopards stormed out to a 17-6 lead. Wright then sparked an 8-2 CLU run to pull back within four. At the 9:22 mark in the opening half Jazmyne Porter hit a three-pointer on an assist from Whitleyto get the Regals within one score at 29-26.

On the ensuing Leopards possession Brittni Tapia knocked down a three-pointer to ignite the ULV offense that went on to score nine unanswered points and push the Leos advantage to 12.

A foul put Whitley on the line where she connected for both and followed up with a steal and a layup nine seconds later. With 6:45 to go, Wright broke the double-figure La Verne lead and it seemed as though the Regals would chip their way right back into things. Instead, ULV used three-pointers on consecutive possessions to take a 13-point advantage.

Porter would grab an offensive rebound with 1:39 in the opening stanza and was fouled on the way down. She converted both free-throw attempts to get the deficit back to single digits at 51-42 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

Cal Lutheran came back to the court with a vengeance, opening the half on a 10-0 run to take their first lead since the initial bucket of the game on a Rachel Heagy layup on an assist from Natalie Stone.

The teams continued to teeter-totter over the next nine minutes with neither squad leading by more than three points.

La Verne would hit back-to-back baskets to again push their lead to seven at 73-66, but again Whitley jump started the Regals with a pair of free-throws and a three-pointer, followed by a Channing Fleischmann three-pointer to put CLU back on top at 74-73 with just under four minutes to play in regulation. A Whitley bucket and two free-throws from Fleischmann at 3:07 gave Cal Lutheran a five-point cushion.

Two converted free-throws for La Verne from Amanda Copas at 2:04 were negated with a three-pointer from Porter on the following CLU possession.

At 1:14 Whitley and a La Verne player got their feet tangled, sending the CLU senior to the sidelines.

Leading by three points, Fleischmann fired off a three with 45 seconds to play and got her own rebound. After a timeout CLU tried to use the clock and ended up in a scrum at half court with ULV recovering a loose ball with a chance to tie it.

The CLU defense forced an unbalanced three-point attempt and clinched the victory and sole possession of the 2012-13 SCIAC title.

CLU held the potent three-point shooting of La Verne to just five (27.8 percent) in the second half. Overall, CLU slightly edged ULV by hitting 42.4 percent from the floor with the Leopards shooting 41.5 on the evening. Both teams were solid at the line with CLU converting 18-for-21 and ULV connecting on 8-for-9.

Megan Musashi paced all players with 31 points for the Leopards while Tapia tallied 17 and Lindsey Foster recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Cal Lutheran (21-4, 13-3 SCIAC) has concluded its SCIAC regular season, though six teams will close out the season on Monday, Feb. 18. Pairings for the SCIAC Post Season Tournament will be released on Monday evening, though Cal Lutheran is guaranteed to host a round one game on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Gilbert Arena.

Box Score: CLU 81, ULV 78
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Starla Wright had 20 points and 12 rebounds while fellow senior Channing Fleischmann knocked down four three-pointers, but the Regals could not overcome a 9-2 Redlands run to start the second half. 

The first half was back-and-forth as neither team held a lead larger than four points. Cal Lutheran got off to a slow start, going 2-9 (22%) from the field as Redlands raced out to a 12-4 lead with 15:21 left to play in the first half.

However, the Regals responded with a 12-3 run over the next five minutes. Keeley Anderson got things started after coming off a screen and burying a three-pointer. Rachel Heagy scored on the following possession after receiving a dazzling no-look pass from Jazmyne Porter. Wright pulled CLU even at 14-14 after she hit a three-pointer from the left corner a minute later. Redlands would sink a free-throw on the next possession but Porter would give Cal Lutheran their first lead at 16-15 after she hit a pull-up jumper from the top of the key.

The Regals stretched their lead to four when Erica Whitley hit a three-pointer from the right corner but Redlands would go on a 9-4 run to retake the lead at 27-25 with 4:59 left in the first half.

A minute later with the Bulldogs up 29-27, Fleischmann swished a three to put CLU back up by one. The lead was short-lived however, as Redlands would a make free-throw on their next possession and tie the game at 31-31 with 3:38 to play in the opening stanza.

After Redlands scored on back-to-back possession inside the last minute, Porter drove to the basket and drew a foul. The senior would hit both free-throws and send the teams into halftime with CLU trailing by just a pair at 35-33.

Cal Lutheran jumped back out in front at 36-35 after Fleischmann nailed a three-pointer 10 seconds into the second half. Redlands reclaimed the lead after they countered with a 9-2 run aided by a three-pointer from Ashley Sevilla and a jumper from Claire Stach. After two free-throws from Wright, Stach hit another jumper and Brittany Oster made a lay-up in traffic to put Redlands up by six at 50-44.

Following a timeout, Cal Lutheran regrouped and got two straight baskets from Wright and cut the Bulldog lead to two with 15:43 left to play.

Redlands would come up with three crucial offense rebounds over the next four minutes as they reclaimed the lead at 51-44.

Heagy would bring the crowd to their feet after she hit a lay-up as she was fouled and sunk the and-one free-throw to bring CLU back to within four.

Stach came through for Redlands when they needed her though, sinking a three on the very next possession that put the Bulldogs up by eight and put the game out of reach.

CLU was led by Wright who had her ninth double-double of the season. Fleischmann finished with 12 points while Whitley chipped in with 11. Heagy nearly pulled off her second double-double of the season with nine points and eight boards. In addition to those four seniors, Thursday night’s contest was also the final home game for Porter, Alex Nelson, and Taylor Autry.

Redlands was led offensively by Stach, who poured in 22 points. Sevilla was second with 15 and Marika Staton rounded out the scorers in double-figures with 12 points.

Cal Lutheran (20-4, 12-3 SCIAC) rounds out its regular season Saturday, Feb. 16, when they travel to La Verne and take on the Leopards at 5:00 p.m.

Box Score:  UR 72 CLU 63
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Channing Fleischmann, Starla Wright and Erica Whitley lived together during their freshman year at Cal Lutheran.

The random arrangement helped forge a close bond that has only strengthened over time.

The trio has formed the core of one of the most successful senior classes in CLU women’s basketball history.

The class has won 71 games, which is tied for third best with the 2002 class. Only the 2000 (73) and 2001 (77) classes have more wins.

CLU (20-3, 12-2) would have to win the NCAA Division III title to reach the top spot, but the Regals are on pace to continue climbing.

CLU is in first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings with two regular-season games remaining this week before tournament play begins.

The Regals became just the third team in program history to reach the 20-win plateau when they beat Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday night.

Fleischmann, Wright and Whitley have combined to score 2,686 points and grab 1,528 rebounds.

Fleischmann ranks in the top 10 in program history for rebounds, 3-pointers made and blocked shots. Whitley is in the top 10 in rebounds, steals, 3-pointers made and blocked shots while Wright is in the top 10 in rebounds and free throws made.

“They would be the first to say it’s not about the three of them, but all of their teammates for the past four seasons,” CLU head coach Roy Dow said. “To my mind’s eye, those three so wonderfully complement each other. Curiously, they do not appear in the single-season record books expect for the most important category — wins.”

The three have played together so long, they know each other’s every move on the court.

Whitley knows she can pass to Fleischmann in the short corner or feed Wright in the post or flashing in the middle of the key.

“I think the chemistry off the court is what has really helped us be great,” said Whitley, a St. Bonaventure High graduate. “We know each other’s personalities and we can tell when someone is feeling it or when someone is not and when they need to be picked up.”

All three have outgoing personalities and like to joke around. But once they hit the court, it’s all business.

“We are very competitive and I know I can count on them to be as excited as I am about the competition in the game,” Wright said. “We are not afraid to talk to each other if something is wrong or point out something we see because we know it’s all about making the team better and helping us win.”

None of the three figured they would receive significant enough minutes as freshmen to compile such lofty career statistics.

Heck, Fleischmann actually thought she might not even make the team.

“I wasn’t able to try out on the first day and I thought I was going to get cut,” she said. “I had a cold and Coach didn’t want me to spread it to anybody else. But I was a dumb freshman and was scared my career was already over.”

Once she earned a spot on the roster, Fleischmann expected to remain stuck on the bench.

“I mentally prepared myself to not expect any playing time. I was totally prepared to not be the center of the team for the first time in my life,” she said. “So when coach was calling my name in the first game, I thought it was all a dream. My teammates had to push me out there because I was not responding.”

Fleischmann, Wright and Whitley have come to depend on each other for much more during their four years at CLU.

“We have pretty much grown together through this college experience,” Wright said. “Being roommates helped us from the beginning, on and off the court. We played every day during practice and then hung out all the time and went to lunch and dinner.”

The seniors realize they have only a few more games left in their careers, and are hoping to add a few more milestones to their legacy before it’s over for good.

“It makes it special we are doing this together,” Wright said. “I know it’s not just me out there reaching these milestones. It’s all of us, and I enjoy seeing somebody else having achievements, too. It’s fun watching my friends have good things happen to them.”

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Though it was a slow start, the Regals pulled away from the Sagehens in the final 6:27 of the opening half and never looked back.

Alex Nelson knocked down a three pointer to break a 16-16 tie, sparking a 10-2 run as CLU took over the momentum on the court. Keeley Anderson came off the bench to score four of those points on a three-pointer and a free-throw. Senior forward Starla Wright was 3-for-4 at the charity stripe to close out the run. Jazmyne Porter would then force one of her game-high four steals with 39 seconds to play in the stanza and finished the play with a fast-break layup as the teams headed to the locker rooms.

After the break, CLU held Pomona-Pitzer to a shooting percentage of 21.4 and just 17 points while hitting 46.2 percent of their shots from the floor to cruise to the win. CLU outscored PP 33-17 and held the Sagehens to single digits for more than 14 minutes in the second half. The largest gap of the night was 28 points, which came on a Pia Gudmundsen layup on another Porter steal and assist on the fast-break.

Channing Fleischman scored just two first half points, but came back hot in the second with 14 to finish with a game-high 16 on 6-for-10 shooting as the only player to break into double figures. She hit 4-for-5 three-point attempts tonight for the Violet and Gold while grabbing three rebounds and coming away with a steal.

Both Wright and Porter finished with eight points and Rachel Heagy poured in seven. Nelson and Erica Whitley each scored six points and shared the lead for assists tonight with five apiece.

Defensively, Wright grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds with four on the offensive end of the court and added a block and a steal. Anderson and Heagy each came down with five. Whitley was a defensive threat as well, coming up with a trio of steals and recording a block. Nelson and Heagy were the other two Regals to record a block against the Sagehens.

With the victory, the 2012-13 squad becomes just the third team in Regals basketball history to record 20 wins in a season.  

Cal Lutheran (20-3, 12-2 SCIAC) has two more league games remaining in the regular season. Thursday, Feb. 14 the Regals return to the Gilbert Arena to host Redlands (17-6, 10-4) at 7:30 p.m. on senior night. Earlier this season UR defeated CLU 61-53.  

Box Score: CLU 61, PP 36  
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The Regals spent one day each week of the month at the Oxnard Food-Share working in their warehouse as well as at the United Methodist Church in Thousand Oaks, helping with their Study-Buddy after-school program. This marked the fifth consecutive January under head coach Roy Dow that the Regals have undertaken multiple service activities in the community.

CLU also found to time to help out at Village Christian School in Sun Valley, Calif. The Regals assisted the first graders with their reading before participating in a talent-show, singing Disney Jr. theme songs. The group then headed to recess where the team taught basketball skills and a few Regals managed to find their way to the playground and learn some new recess games. CLU and the first graders concluded the school day with the team assisting the kids on a social studies vocabulary word activity and completing an art-project.

“The extended winter break is a significant opportunity for our team to come together in basketball and non-basketball activities alike,” coach Dow said. “We were able to engage the men’s basketball team in a bowling outing (which the Regals won) and one of our seniors was able to begin an internship in-line with her academic goals.”

Coach Dow concluded with, “The experience our players gain through these volunteer opportunities is invaluable as well as reflecting the mission of the university.”

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