LOS ANGELES — Andrew Johnson scored 27 points during another incredible offensive performance and Jay Miller had an outstanding all-around game with 16 points and nine rebounds as the Occidental men's basketball team crushed La Verne 73-51 at Rush Gymnasium on Thursday.

Johnson, the SCIAC's leading scorer at 22.3 ppg, was 10 for 15 from the field with eight rebounds.

Miller had three assists, two steals and shot 7 for 12. He grabbed some big time rebounds high above the rim, consistently made the right decisions on offense and provided good leadership.

Zach Baines added 14 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots for the Tigers.

Oxy played its best defense of the season, holding the SCIAC's top-scoring offense to 34 points less than its average. The Leopards, which average 85 ppg, shot just 33 percent on the game and were just 1 for 8 shooting from beyond the three-point line. 

Hakim Arnold was the only La Verne player to do much on offense, scoring 20 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Victor Costa added eight points off of the bench.

Ryan Kaneshiro and Austin DeWitz played excellent defense for the Tigers, on and off the ball. Kaneshiro was able to keep the La Verne penetration to a minimum and DeWitz made Arnold make tough shots and forced him to only create plays for himself.

DeWitz finished with four points, six rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks. Joe Compagnochipped in four points, grabbed four rebound and had two assists in eight minutes.

Season Impact: The Tigers move to 11-8 and 3-7 in SCIAC, winning their second game in a row by more than 20 points.

La Verne falls to 12-7 and 6-4.

Next Game: The Tigers are back in action on Saturday at Caltech (5-14, 4-6). The Tigers beat the Beavers in their rivalry matchup at the beginning of the season, but lost to them during Round 1 of SCIAC play.