Josh Angle tied for team-high honors with 17 points (photo by Caelyn Smith)
Josh Angle tied for team-high honors with 17 points (photo by Caelyn Smith)

CMS Men's Basketball Suffers First SCIAC Loss at Cal Lutheran

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - TJ Askew and Josh Angle each had 17 points, but it wasn't enough as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team saw its eight-game winning streak snapped with a 78-65 defeat at Cal Lutheran on Wednesday evening.

With the loss, CMS slips to 10-2 overall on the year, after suffering its first defeat since falling to Whitworth at the David Wells Classic on Nov. 26. The Stags also fall to 4-1 in SCIAC play, while Cal Lutheran, which was led by a game-high 25 points from Mason Johnson, improves to 9-2 overall and 2-1 in the SCIAC with the win. 

The Stags started strong, taking an 11-4 lead on a Rhett Carter layup, but the Kingsmen took their first lead at 17-15 on a Johnson layup. Max McCalla pulled CMS even with a three-pointer at 24-24 with 5:18 left in the half, before Cal Lutheran was able to surge ahead by eight points, before Carter closed out the half with a bucket to make the score 36-30 at intermission. 

Cal Lutheran went ahead by double digits for the first time at 43-32 early in the second half and maintained a steady lead the rest of the way. CMS did get within five points at 57-52 on an Angle three-pointer with 8:10 left, and after Cal Lutheran scored, the Stags cut it to four on an Askew three-pointer with 7:27 left. A 7-0 Kingsmen run, though, turned a 63-59 lead into a 70-59 advantage on a Johnson jumper with 4:06 left and they were able to hold on and give the Stags their first SCIAC defeat.

Askew and Angle both had efficient shooting days for their 17 points, as Angle was 5-9 from the floor (3-6 from three) and hit all four foul shots, while Askew was 6-10 from the floor and 2-3 from three. Matt Meredith added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Johnson shot 9-18 (4-6 from three) and had six assists and no turnovers for Cal Lutheran.

CMS will try to get back on the winning track on Saturday when it travels to Chapman for a 2 p.m. contest.