Conference co-champion CMS set to host Cal Lu in SCIAC Postseason Tournament

LA VERNE, Calif. – With a blowout 95-55 win on the road against La Verne on Feb. 24 to wrap up the regular season, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team claimed a share of the SCIAC regular season title and locked up the No. 2 seed for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, which begins on Friday night. The win put CMS in a three-way tie for the regular season championship with Chapman (No. 1 seed) and Cal Lutheran (No. 3 seed).

The Stags have now won 18 SCIAC regular season titles, eight under current head coach Ken Scalmanini. CMS has made the SCIAC Postseason Tournament in every year of its existence, the only men's basketball team to have done so.

As the No. 2 seed for the SCIAC Tournament, CMS hosts third-seeded and SCIAC co-champion Cal Lutheran in the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 27 at Pomona-Pitzer's Rains Center, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. Cal Lutheran and CMS have played twice in 2014-15, with CMS winning both games, most recently a 64-54 win over Cal Lu in Claremont on Feb. 21. CMS and Cal Lu also faced off in the SCIAC Tournament last season, with Cal Lu pulling out a 54-53 upset win as the No. 4 seed.

The winner of the CMS/Cal Lu match-up on Friday moves on to the finals of the SCIAC Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m., against the winner of the other semifinal game between top-seeded Chapman and No. 4 seed Whittier. The championship game will be played on the home court of the highest remaining seed. CMS is 4-2 this season against the teams in the field; Chapman (0-2), Cal Lutheran (2-0) and Whittier (2-0).

For SCIAC Tournament games that CMS hosts, CMS will offer live stats and live video. Other participating schools offer similar services on their websites for games that they host. Admission prices for conference postseason games are as follows:

• Current SCIAC ID (Students, Faculty & Staff) - Free
• Children 12 and under -Free
• All others - $5

Back to Tuesday's win over La Verne in the regular season finale, the 95 points CMS scored is the team's best scoring output of the season. In the game, guard Tyler Gaffaney (CGU) went off for 35 points and in the process, broke his previous school record, going 9-for-9 from the three-point line. He went 7-for-7 from the three-point line in a win at West Coast Baptist earlier this season, which was the previous record. Junior center Shelby Lane (CMC) and junior center Nick Lund (CMC) were also in double-figure scoring against La Verne with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Live Stats (CMS Home Games)
Live Video (CMS Home Games)

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