Resilient Stags fall short against Chapman in SCIAC Tournament semifinals

ORANGE, Calif. – A year ago, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team defeated Chapman in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. Top-seeded Chapman returned the favor this season with a 71-61 win over fourth-seeded CMS in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinals on Feb. 26 at the Hutton Sports Center. Chapman hosts Redlands in the finals on Feb. 27.

In a game that Chapman (19-6, 12-4 SCIAC) led for the duration, CMS struggled early to get going offensively and that proved costly as Chapman moved out to a big lead and then held on late. Chapman maintained its double-digit lead for much of the game. They moved ahead by as many as 19 points at 54-35 on a basket by Tyler Green with 10:37 remaining that capped off a 13-2 run for Chapman.

As it had all season, CMS (13-12, 8-8) fought back and with 43 seconds on the clock, CMS found itself down by five points at 66-61 after a three-pointer by Jack Earley (CMC). Earley's three capped a 10-0 run for CMS (Earley had two three-pointers in the run). Chapman then sealed the win at the free-throw line with the game's final five points.

Faced with a 37-25 deficit at halftime, CMS narrowed Chapman's lead to 41-33 when senior forward Jason Harrington (CMC) nailed a three, 4:11 into the second half.

The seniors who played (Earley, Harrington, Shelby Lane – CMC, and Nick Lund – CMC) accounted for 43 of the Stags' 61 points. Lane led the way and had 18 points and seven boards and Harrington also finished in double-figure scoring with 11 points.

The 2016 CMS seniors finished their careers with a 73-33 record. CMS ends the year at 13-12, the program's 19th-straight winning season.

CMS had an advantage in shooting percentage (47-38), assists (13-9), points off turnovers (14-9) and points in the paint (36-20). The real difference-maker for Chapman came at the free-throw line where they made 20 free throws compared to just two for the Stags. Chapman also outrebounded CMS 43-29.

Cam Haslam (21 points) and Rob Nelson (15 points) were the top scorers for the Panthers.

Box score

By Chris Watts
Director of Athletics Communication
Claremont McKenna College

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