CMS Men's Basketball Bounces Back on Season's Second Day to Defeat George Fox 80-72

SPOKANE, Wash. - One day after falling to host Whitworth in its season opener, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team responded with a late 10-0 run to earn an 80-72 win over George Fox on Saturday evening on the second day of the Whitworth Tip-Off Classic.

With the win, the Stags move to 1-1 on the young season, as senior guard Miles President scored 24 points and senior forward Kele Mkpado added a career-high 14. Senior forward Maxwell Kirsch was also in double figures with 10 points, while first-year guard Brian Kenyon also added nine points off the bench on 3-3 shooting.

Junior guard Mitchell Kirsch put CMS ahead to stay with 4:07 to go in the game on a three-pointer to make the score 66-65, starting the pivotal 10-0 run. Senior forward George Walker connected on a pair of foul shots with 3:21 left to make it a 68-65 game, and Mkpado knocked down a jumper at the 2:43 mark to give the Stags a 70-65 lead.

Mitchell Kirsch then found Mkpado for an old-fashioned three-point play to cap off the 10-0 run and give CMS a 73-65 lead with 1:04 to go. George Fox's Emilio Mancol ended the run with a lay-up with 59 seconds left, but President (3-4) and Mkpado (4-4) combined to knock down seven of eight foul shots down the stretch to seal it. 

The Stags got out on the front foot early, racing out to a 17-7 lead on a three-pointer from President at the 12:11 mark of the first half. A three-pointer from senior guard JD Levine and a lay-up from graduate student Grant Arthur gave CMS a 37-28 lead late in the half, and President beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to make it a 43-36 game at the break, giving him 14 first-half points.

CMS will be back in action in three weeks when it co-hosts the annual David Wells Classic, facing Lewis & Clark on Nov. 29 at Pomona-Pitzer and hosting Pacific (Ore.) on Nov. 30 at Roberts Pavilion.