Stags' offense propels team to seventh straight win

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – There was plenty of scoring to go around for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team (13-1, 6-0) on Saturday evening as CMS won 86-71 against Cal Lutheran (11-5, 4-3) for its seventh straight victory. The Stags were highly efficient on offense, shooting 60.7 percent from the field and seeing four players score in double-digits, including sophomore Patrick Myers (CMC) who had 14 off the bench.

Junior Michael Scarlett (CMC) led the team with 18 points and six assists while his classmate Kendrick Morris (CMC) had an efficient performance, scoring 14 points and going 7-for-8 from the field. Freshman Miles President (HMC) led the team with seven assists to go with eight points. Cal Lutheran saw five players score in double-digits, including Wolfgang Wood who had 25 points and 11 rebounds, but the other five players who stepped on floor were held scoreless altogether as CMS demonstrated stronger depth than the Kingsmen.

Morris got things started for the Stags in the opening half, scoring the first eight points of the game. Lynds had another run going for CMS when he scored a 3-pointer, followed by a jumper and another triple to give CMS an 18-8 lead. At 7:14 left in the half, the Kingsmen finally a short run of their own, scoring five straight points to cut the Stags' lead to six. However, CMS backup unit showed its strength as freshman Jeremy Horn (CMC) rebounded his own miss and converted his putback attempt and junior Jack Ely (CMC) scored a 3-pointer to extend the lead 31-20. Within the final minute and half, Cal Lutheran went on another 5-0 run, but President's jumper doused the flames as CMS held a 40-33 advantage at halftime.

The Stags jumped out to a 9-0 start in the second half, including a pair of layups from senior Riley Hall (CMC), but the Kingsmen found a way to keep the game close. Kenneth Moffett sparked a run for Cal Lutheran, scoring back-to-back layups. He followed up with a 3-point basket and then found Wood from beyond the arc for the assisted 3-pointer, cutting the CMS lead 55-52. Moffett ended the night with 14 points. Lynds was not willing to relinquish the lead and hit a 3-point jumper of his own to cool off the Kingsmen. Following a short timeout with 9:18 left, the Stags came out to put the game away and went on an 11-3 run, including two consecutive triples from Scarlett and another by President, putting CMS up 69-55. The Stags never looked back and a pair of free throws from Scarlett with a minute left iced the game.

CMS will return home on Thursday, Jan. 26 to host La Verne (11-5, 5-1) at 7 p.m. This is the first time the two teams will meet this season. The Stags split their series against the Leopards last season and won their latest meeting in a close 65-60 victory on Feb. 10, 2016. 

Box Score

By Young Kim
Sports Information Assistant

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