Scarlett scores 25 points in comeback victory over La Verne

CLAREMONT, Calif. – Thursday night's showdown between the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team (14-1, 7-0) and the University of La Verne (11-6, 5-3) was an explosive affair as fans were at the edge of their seats until the final whistle. The Stags prevailed 90-81 to remain undefeated in SCIAC play.

The Leopards were quick to pounce on CMS early in the game, utilizing their speed and aggressive play to gain a large lead. However, the Stags showed their muscles towards the end of the game, settling down on defense and dictating the offensive tempo to come away with the victory.

Junior Michael Scarlett (CMC) was phenomenal, scoring 25 points and pulling down eight rebounds, while his classmate Kendrick Morris (CMC) provided 15 points. Senior Riley Hall (CMC) was a workhorse, scoring 11 points and hustling for nine boards, as well as recording a steal and a block. Hakim Arnold led the Leopards with 20 points, going 9-for-11 from the field, while his teammate Cruz Mertens chipped in 17.

The game was a ferocious affair from the start, as Arnold and his defender were slapped with a technical after jawing at each other following his made layup. With tensions rising, La Verne came out of the gate at breakneck pace and tried to incite CMS into keeping up with their tempo. The Stags found themselves playing catchup with the Leopards. The two teams played with a direct approach, aggressively attacking the lane and finding open looks before the opposing team could setup it's defense. However, with 4:44 left in the half, the Leopards looked to be in control. La Verne went on a 12-2 run, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Anthony White, to close the half with a 53-44 lead.

La Verne seemingly picked up where it left off. Mertens hit a 3-pointer to give the Leopards a 70-56 lead with 11:03 left in the half, but the Stags refused to relent.

Sophomore Mark Sui (CMC) dished out a bullet pass to his classmate Evan Davis (CMC) in the left corner for an open 3-pointer. Morris followed with a layup to cut the Leopards' lead to single digits, bringing the CMS crowd to life. Scarlett kept the run alive with a jumper, and freshman Miles President (HMC) brought the fans to their feet when he stole the ball and got fouled while making a fast-break layup. He made the extra basket, cutting the Leopards' lead to just four points.

With 6:46 left in the game, Arnold bolted cross court after collecting a rebound and tried to go up for a slam dunk, but his attempt was not high enough as he ended up settling for a layup. President responded by almost dunking on the following possession, but sophomore Patrick Myers (CMC) tipped in his missed attempt. The Stags mustered another run to take the lead, starting with back-to-back layups from Hall and President. ULV's White managed to find space in the paint to attempt a jumper, but Hall extended his arms and stuffed the shot as Scarlett collected the rebound. Scarlett then found Morris in the paint for a layup, giving CMS the 77-76 lead. Junior Jack Ely (CMC) kept the run alive with a layup and a free afterwards.

With a minute left in the game, Scarlett took one dribble behind the screen and shot his trademark pullup 3-pointer for the dagger, extending the Stags lead 83-76. Desperate to retake the lead, the Leopards aggressively drove to the hoop on following possessions, but the Stags saw through the strategy and forced three turnovers in the final minute to seal the game.

The Stags will head across the street on Saturday, Jan. 28 to face Pomona-Pitzer at 7 PM. CMS temporarily used the Rains Center as its home court while the Roberts Pavilion was in construction last season. The team split its series against the Sagehens and won their last meeting in a nail-biting 51-49 victory on Feb. 15, 2016. 

Box Score

By Young Kim
Sports Information Assistant

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