Stags Basketball Opens With Dominant 81-44 Win over UC Santa Cruz

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Josh Angle scored 30 points, the second straight year he has scored 30 or more in the season opener, as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team began the 2023-24 season with an 81-44 win over UC Santa Cruz on Saturday at Roberts Pavilion.

A year ago, Angle scored a career-high 37 as the Stags began the season with a win over No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor. After earning third-team All-America honors from D3hoops.com, Angle returned for his final year as a graduate student and shot 12-21 from the floor to score 30 in a win over UC Santa Cruz, while also adding six rebounds, four assists and four steals. 

Rhett Carter, who also returned for his graduate season this year, had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Stags as well. CMS held UC Santa Cruz to just 2-21 shooting from three-point territory, with both makes coming in the final seven minutes after the Banana Slugs missed their first 17. 

CMS jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. The Stags added a 13-0 run that turned a 19-9 lead into a 32-9 advantage late in the half, before the Banana Slugs finally reached double figures with 51 seconds left in the half on a pair of foul shots. It was exactly an eight-minute scoreless drought, as CMS was able to take a 34-11 lead into the break. 

Reid Jones had a strong all-around game off the CMS bench in his collegiate debut, scoring seven points and picking up five steals and two blocks defensively. 

CMS will be back in action when it travels to Texas to take on Southwestern and Trinity this weekend.