Stags grind out of 12-point deficit to victory

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team (8-1) emerged victorious in their last game of 2016, coming back from a 12-point deficit to win 60-57 over Oberlin College (1-8). Having just won a close game against Emerson less than 24 hours before tip-off, the Stags had to battle through fatigue, shooting 37.9 percent from the field, a significant drop from their season average of 50.1 percent. Regardless, the Stags relied on their tenacious defense and tireless effort on the glass to win the game, out-rebounding the Yeomen 37 to 21. CMS also made timely runs and extraordinary plays on offense to shift the momentum in their favor. 

Junior Kendrick Morris (CMC) led the team with 12 points and seven rebounds while sophomore Patrick Myers (CMC) provided a major spark off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds. Jack Poyle delivered most of the damage for the Yeomen, scoring 22 points and nabbing two steals.

Oberlin had a hot start from the opening whistle, overwhelming CMS with a 14-2 run. The Stags refused to get discouraged by the early deficit and grinded back to cut the lead to single digits. Junior Michael Scarlett (CMC) and senior Riley Hall (CMC) attacked the paint for back-to-back layups and sophomore Evan Davis (CMC) got fouled behind the arc, following up by making all three of his free throws to bring the Stags within seven at 18-11.

The Yeomen managed to bring their lead back up to 10, but it was short-lived as the Stags embarked on a 10-1 run beginning at 3:41 left in the half. Scarlett drilled a three-pointer to start the run and freshman Miles President (HMC) flashed his vertical on the ensuing possession with a timely block on Nathan Cohen's jumper which led to freshman Maxwell Kirsch's (CMC) three-pointer. Following a free throw from Poyle, Scarlett kept the offense moving, finding Myers in the paint for a layup. Senior Scott Lynds (CMC) missed a three-pointer, but Scarlett came up huge with an offensive rebound and was fouled on his putback attempt. Scarlett converted both his free throws to cut Oberlin's lead 29-28. However, the momentum was fleeting as Zach Moo Young tipped in Poyle's missed jumper at the buzzer to extend the lead to three.

Jack Poyle was determined to start the second half as he did in the first, pushing Oberlin to a 9-2 run. Poyle scored seven points during that run, including a fast-break layup off a steal. The Stags refused to back down and went to Morris to bully the defense in the post. With less than 13 minutes left in the game, Morris spun his way past his defender to make a layup. After Lynds made two free throws for the Stags, Morris followed up with another layup in the paint to cut the lead to 43-41. As the defense doubled-up on Morris the following the possession, the big man dumped a pass to the cutting Hall for the layup to tie the game. Oberlin quickly retook the lead with two free throws, but Hall refused to let the Stags trail again. President saw his three-pointer attempt bounce off the back iron, but Hall leapt past several defenders to grab the offensive rebound and made the layup while in midair to keep the game tied.

After Oberlin scored, Hall found Davis open at the perimeter and the sophomore converted his attempt to give CMS their first lead of the game. The game became a nail-biting back and forth affair until the final minute when Scarlett drilled an open corner three to give the Stags the 60-57 lead. The Stags hunkered down on defense within the final minute and managed to burn clock on their possessions to preserve their small lead until the final buzzer.

The CMS team will take a six-day break for the rest of the year, and will open up 2017 with a conference game on the road on Thursday, Jan. 5 against University of Redlands at 7 p.m. 

By Young Kim
Sports Information Assistant

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