CMS Men's Basketball Prevails 74-71 Over Pomona-Pitzer in SCIAC Semifinals

CLAREMONT, Calif. - SCIAC Athlete of the Year Josh Angle had 18 of his 20 points in the second half, including six straight to swing the game in the final two minutes, as the second-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team overcame an eight-point deficit and earned a 74-71 win over Pomona-Pitzer on Friday evening in the SCIAC Semifinals.

Angle also broke the CMS career three-point record in the second half with the 223rd of his career, finishing the day with 225, as the Stags improved to 19-6 on the season and advance to the SCIAC Championship game tomorrow at Cal Lutheran. Pomona-Pitzer slips to 19-7 with the loss. The old record of 222 was set by Bob Donlan ('02) and was matched by Angle in the regular season finale. 

Angle was held to just two points in the first half as Pomona-Pitzer took a 41-35 lead into the break, but he shot 7-10 from the floor in the second half, and 3-5 from three, to spur the Stags to the win. 

Pomona-Pitzer held a 67-66 lead with 2:19 to play as the teams took the floor after the final media timeout. The Stags ran a successful play to get Angle loose under the basket, and he converted off an entry pass from Caelan Jones and drew a foul, converting to make it a 69-67. 

Pomona-Pitzer missed a three on the ensuing possession, and Angle shook free at the top of the key dribbling to his right and buried a clean look with 1:16 to go to put CMS ahead 72-67. After Pete Boyle had a put-back for the Sagehens, Jones knocked down two foul shots to make it 74-69. Pomona-Pitzer had one final chance to tie, and got a decent look from three, but Joe Cookson had it hit off the rim and bounce away at the horn. 

The Sagehens had their largest lead at 56-48 with 13:59 to go, but Angle was able to hit his record-breaking three with 13:00 to go to start a 9-0 run and swing the momentum. Jones hit three foul shots to close ot to 56-54, and Angle pulled up for a three to put CMS in front for the first time in the second half. 

After Pomona-Pitzer went ahead by three, Jones tied it with a three-pointer with 6:37 to go and Angle hit a runner in the paint to put CMS ahead 66-64. The Sagehens took the lead back again, but Angle's 6-0 spurt in the final two minutes resulted in the final lead change of the night. 

Caelan Jones finished with 17 points in support of Angle, while Reid Jones added eight points off the bench. Will King stepped into the starting line-up and had eight points. 

CMS split with Cal Lutheran in the regular season, winning a tight 60-55 game at home behind 21 points and 15 rebounds from Rhett Carter after Angle missed the entire second half after suffering a cut to his forehead. Cal Lutheran, which has not lost since that CMS game on Dec. 7, won the rematch in Thousand Oaks 62-56, overcoming an early 17-3 deficit. The winner of tomorrow's rubber game will receive the SCIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.