Stags Hold Off Bulldogs to Make it Six Straight

Stags Hold Off Bulldogs to Make it Six Straight

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team avenged their only conference loss this season with a win over the Bulldogs from the University of Redlands by an 80-66 final on Wednesday night. Senior guard Michael Scarlett (CMC) dropped 24 points to lead the Stags' offense and Kendrick Morris (CMC) posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

With the victory, the Stags improve to 9-7 overall and 7-1 in SCIAC play.

A jump shot from Jack Ely (CMC) got the ball rolling in the first-half. Two baskets from the Bulldogs gave Redlands a slight lead before Scott Lynds (CMC) put CMS back in front with a three. Moments later, a six-point CMS run, aided by back-to-back baskets from Miles President (HMC), extended the Stags' lead to 14-8.

Redlands battled back, tying the game at 16-16, before Scarlett dropped one of his four triples with 9:24 remaining in the half. The three from Scarlett started a 15-3 run that put the Stags up 31-19. A three from President capped off the run with 5:10 left in the half. Scarlett, Ely, President and Lynds fueled the run and the Stags held a 37-27 lead heading into the break.

A quick foul just 20 seconds into the second-half sent President to the charity stripe where he made both free throws. The Bulldogs gained a little momentum to cut the difference to less than 10 before Lynds sunk a three to put the Stags up by 11.

The lead hovered around 10 until a quick burst from CMS midway through the period extended the lead to 62-44 following a layup from Ely. The 18-point lead with 8:02 remaining was the largest of the contest for CMS.

The lead would not last long, as the Bulldogs quickly countered with a 9-0 run that lasted less than two minutes. A three from Brittian Foster chopped the margin down to nine points with just over six minutes remaining in the game.

A free throw from Morris halted the Redlands' momentum slightly, but the Bulldogs continued to pressure, scoring the next five points to pull within five at 63-58 with four minutes left on the clock. Overall it was a 14-1 run that pulled Redlands back into the game.

The Stags weathered the storm and relied on senior leaders Michael Scarlett and Scott Lynds to right the ship. The front-court duo combined to champion an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to put CMS back in the driver's seat. Scarlett delivered the final blow with a three from the top of the key to push CMS ahead 74-60 with 1:17 remaining.

The Stags converted their free throws down the stretch with two free throws from Mark Sui (CMC), sealing the 80-66 win for the Stags.

Four Stags hit double-digits points. Scarlett dropped 24 and Lynds contributed 16 with four assists and two steals. Morris scored 14 while grabbing 11 boards and President added 11 points of his own. Ely had a stellar night on the court, grabbing 10 rebounds with nine points while adding three assists, two steals and two blocks.

CMS continues SCIAC play this weekend when they travel to Thousand Oaks to take on Cal Lutheran at 2 p.m. on Saturday.