CLU BEAT; JANUARY IS MUTH'S MONTH CENTER IMPROVES PRODUCTION AT START OF CONFERENCE PLAY.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Justin Muth is turning into one of the Cal Lutheran men's basketball team's most productive players, which must mean it's January.

For the third year in a row, the junior center is playing significantly better than he did during the first month of the season. Muth was the leading scorer and rebounder in the Kingsmen's two wins last week, contributing a combined 55 points and 22 rebounds. He boosted his scoring average to 15.8 points a game to finish nonconference play as CLU's second-leading scorer even though Pastor Cuenca and Danny Sweeney were consistently the top scorers for the first month of the season.

Muth's hot play comes at just the right time and leaves CLU optimistic heading into Southern California Intercollegiate Conference play this week. With a 7-3 record entering Wednesday's SCIAC opener at Whittier, the Kingsmen had almost matched last season's win total (10).

"He's done a nice job," Kingsmen coach Rich Rider said of Muth. "He's really started to mature. He's gotten more experience and gotten healthy. For some reason, he always plays his best basketball in January and he's doing it again. He's really bumped up his game."

Muth had minor nagging injuries at the beginning of the season, but Rider does not believe that entirely accounts for the change since Muth has done the same in previous years. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound player from Half Moon Bay practices as much as his teammates during the offseason, so Rider is left guessing about the slow starts but happy about the strong play when the Kingsmen need it most - during conference.

"He's just one of those guys that really comes around in late December and January," Rider said. "The past three years he's been like that. He just takes a while to get warmed up.

"I can't tell you anything specific. I wish I could, but I don't know what it is. If I did, I'd bottle it and turn the clock back and just always tell him it's January."

Muth's play takes pressure off Cuenca and is helping open up opportunities on the perimiter for players like Richard Iskendarian, who has also stepped up lately. Iskendarian scored 17 points in Saturday's 82-71 victory against Benedictine.

--International competition: The Kingsmen didn't come close to beating King Oscar during Friday's game of the Kingsmen Classic, but CLU enjoyed the chance to learn from from one of the best teams in Norway.

"We loved it," Rider said. "It was good. They were as good as any team that's been in our gym in a long time."

The Norweigan club champions defeated CLU 72-58, but the loss does not count against the Kingsmen's record because it was an exhibition game.

CLU's women fared better in their exhibition with a non-U.S. team. The Regals opened last weekend's Lutheran Brotherhood tournament with a 79-48 victory against Augustana of Alberta, Canada.

--Practice pays off: The Regals are practicing twice a day during the school break and it's showing in their play. The CLU women won both of their games at the inaugural Lutheran Brotherhood tournament, beating The Master's 67-57 in the final. The Regals (7-5, 1-0) followed with a 92-65 victory against Claremont-Mudd in Tuesday's SCIAC opener.

The Regals took an early 15-2 lead against Claremont and were never threatened. Five CLU players scored in double figures, led by Anna Lindseth, who scored 29 points. She was named the MVP of the tournament.

--Injury update: All-SCIAC junior guard Nicole Sanchez appears to be back at full strength after working back from an offseason foot injury. She scored 20 points Tuesday.

On the men's side, Sweeney returned to the lineup Wednesday after sitting out because of a sprained ankle. Junior guard Woodley Polynice is playing despite a problem with his Achilles' tendon.

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Photo: (color) Cal Lutheran junior Justin Muth was the leading scorer and rebounder in the Kingsmen's two wins last week.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer