Sports in Brief Nov. 6

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Author: Ryan Whalen

Men’s Water Polo (1-20 overall, 0-5 SCIAC)
The Occidental men’s water polo team (1-20 overall, 0-5 SCIAC) continued to experience offensive struggles last week against two conference opponents. The Tigers attempted to secure their first conference win Wednesday at Chapman. But the black and orange fell to a quick 5-1 deficit in the first quarter before team captain Jack Stabenfeldt (senior) took over for the Tigers, scoring three of his season-high five goals in the second quarter alone. However, Stabenfeldt’s outburst was not enough, and the Panthers eclipsed Occidental, 17-10. The Tigers’ second game of the week proved to be a shootout against La Verne Saturday. Stabenfeldt again led the charge for the black and orange, netting a career-high seven goals with at least one coming in each quarter of play. The Tigers pressed the SCIAC No. 6 Leopards throughout the game and stayed within one point for the majority of the contest. Occidental then outscored La Verne 5-4 in the final quarter to nearly come away with the victory. But in the end, the offensive production of the Leopards was too much for the Tigers to overcome, and La Verne took the match, 19-17. The men host conference-leader Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) tonight at 7 p.m. at Taylor Pool.

Men’s Basketball (0-1 overall, 0-0 SCIAC)

The Tiger men’s basketball team tipped off its season Saturday with a non-conference match-up against Division-I opponent Cal State Bakersfield. The Roadrunners’ defensive dominance stymied the Tigers’ offensive attack, forcing the black and orange to turn the ball over 31 times in the contest and capitalizing on Occidental’s inability to protect the ball with 44 points off of the Tigers’ miscues. The Bakersfield defense also controlled the glass throughout the night, grabbing 49 rebounds to Occidental’s 28. The lopsided rebounding totals also allowed Bakersfield to accumulate 33 second-chance points, 21 more than the Tigers. The Roadrunner offense also distributed the ball often, combining for 22 assists with all 12 players scoring at least once. In spite of Occidental’s woes, guard Spencer Levy (junior) led the Tigers with 21 points while shooting 45 percent from the field. Senior Kris Montoya, Juwan Rice (junior) and Kory Hamane (sophomore) also recorded double-digit points. Occidental hosts St. Thomas Saturday at 7 p.m. for its first home game of the 2013 campaign and opens SCIAC play Dec. 4 at Caltech.

 

Football (4-3 overall, 3-2 SCIAC)
The Occidental football team took on conference foe Pomona-Pitzer Saturday in the 115th annual battle for “The Drum” trophy. The Tigers found themselves in a defensive stalemate, as both teams found the end zone just once in the game. But Occidental kicker Marc Kuzbari (senior) proved to be the difference maker for the black and orange, booting a field goal in each of the final two quarters to give the Tigers a 13-7 victory over the Sagehens. The win marked the first time this season that the black and orange has strung together two consecutive wins and secured a winning record. The triumph also meant that the Tigers took home the prized Drum for the tenth consecutive year. SCIAC-leading rusher Kwame Do (sophomore) propelled the Occidental offense throughout the contest, recording 155 yards on 29 carries. Samuel Crizer (junior) also got in on the action, scoring the Tigers’ only touchdown of the game on a 9-yard scamper, which set up Kuzbari for his late-game heroics. The squad travels to Whittier Saturday at 1 p.m. in the 67th-annual “Battle for the Shoes.”

Kwame Do (Football RB No. 8)

Sitting at 1,016 rushing yards on the season, Tiger running back Kwame Do (sophomore) still has two games to eclipse Occidental great Gene Moore’s ‘69 single-season rushing record of 1,084 yards set back in the 1968 season. He has taken on the role of offensive workhorse and has led the black and orange to its first back-to-back victories and its first winning record of the season. After a rough rookie season in which he registered just 161 yards (3.2 per carry), Do’s stats have risen significantly, leaving him perched at the top of the SCIAC rushing list as one of the premier rushers in the conference. He has scored 10 touchdowns on an average of 145.1 rushing yards per game — both league-bests — and ran for over 200 yards against four-time SCIAC champion Cal Lutheran. He has faced defensive schemes over the course of the last several weeks that have been specifically designed to slow down his prowess. But even with eight men in the box, the phenom has only been held under 100 yards twice this season. In addition to surpassing Moore’s record, Do has the chance to be one of nation’s top five rushers for yards per contest if he can raise his average 13 yards over the course of the team’s final two games.

 

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