George Walker - Men's Basketball

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The CMS men's basketball team picked up a pair of big league wins last week to move into a tie for first place in the SCIAC, and senior forward George Walker was a major reason why, producing remarkably efficient numbers in both contests to help the Stags stretch their winning streak to five games. 

In a Wednesday battle with Occidental, featuring two teams who came into the game tied for second place in the SCIAC, Walker produced a career-high 15 points in only 15 minutes and grabbed nine rebounds to give CMS a big lift off the bench, knocking down five of his six shots from the floor and five of six from the free throw line. He also had a big defensive play, coming up with a blocked shot in the final minute and the Stags clinging to a five-point lead, enabling CMS to hang on for the 65-60 win that put it alone in second place in the SCIAC at the time. 

That would prove to be even bigger after Occidental defeated first-place Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday, enabling the Stags to move into a tie for first with a lopsided 83-54 win over La Verne. The Stags were up by 30 at the half (47-17) and were able to put 19 players into the game, limiting everyone's minutes to 20 or less. Walker played nine minutes, as CMS took the opportunity to play some of its younger post players, but still managed to pull down a remarkable one rebound per minute, finishing with six points and nine rebounds. 

For the week, Walker played 24 minutes, or just over one half of action, and had 21 points and 18 rebounds, while shooting 8-11 from the floor. He passed his previous career high of 13 points, which he set earlier this season, in the big win over Occidental. 

CMS heads to the road this week for games at Cal Lutheran on Wednesday and Whittier on Saturday, before its next home game on Wednesday, Feb. 5 against Pomona-Pitzer, which could potentially be a winner-take-all battle for first place.