Stags Come from Behind in Senior Night Win Over Chapman

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team used a big second half to come from behind and take down the Chapman University Panthers 72-63 on Saturday after celebrating Senior Night. Kendrick Morris (CMC) led the Stags, notching a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Scarlett (CMC) dropped 18 points and Scott Lynds (CMC) added 14.

Two baskets from Morris and Scarlett gave the Stags a slight 6-3 lead three minutes into the half. An and-one layup from Chapman's Luke Selway tied the game 6-6 and a back-and-forth battle ensued.

The teams traded points until 11:45 when two made free throws by Jeff Kenney sparked a five-point Chapman run. The run put the Panthers up 23-15.

Later in the half, a layup from Andrew Maddock (CMC) pulled the Stags within one at 29-28 with 3:16 to play in the opening period. The Panthers answered with a layup and less than 30 seconds later Scarlett drained a three with an assist from Mitchell Kirsch (CMC) to even the game 31-31.

The Panthers' Rob Nelson made a pair of free throws with just over a minute left in the period, giving Chapman a 33-31 lead heading into halftime.

The second half picked up right where the neck-and-neck first-half left off. Back-to-back layups from Morris opened the second half and awakened the Stags. A jumper from Lynds with 14:47 remaining in the game sparked a big 8-0 run for the Stags. Jack Ely (CMC), Lynds, and Scarlett all made contributions in the run to give CMS a 47-41 advantage. They held the lead for the rest of the game.

A three from Ely gave the Stags a 10-point cushion before Morris gave CMS their largest lead of the game at 12 with a layup. The bucket from Morris put CMS up 68-56 with one minute remaining in the contest.

Miles President (HMC) drained two at the free throw line to close out the game and give the Stags a 72-63 victory.

The Stags won the hard fought battle that saw eight lead changes throughout the game. CMS outscored the Panthers 41-30 in the second half to come away with a 72-63 victory.

The Stags were perfect (6-6) from the line and shot 50.0% from the field. They dished out 17 assists, compared to just seven helpers from Chapman. Lynds and President each dished out four dimes while Ely and Scarlett finished with three assists apiece. As mentioned, Morris notched his seventh double-double of the season, leading the Stags in scoring and rebounds.

With the victory, CMS clinches the 2017-18 SCIAC Championship outright. The Stags celebrated their 20th SCIAC Championship in program history by cutting down the nets. The Championship is their eighth in the last 10 years.

CMS will wrap up the regular season on the road against Caltech on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The Stags have already clinched the top seed in next weekend's SCIAC Tournament. CMS will host the SCIAC Semifinals on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against the No. 4 seed that will be determined after Tuesday's games.