Carter Carries CMS Men's Basketball to 60-55 Win over Cal Lutheran

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Rhett Carter had 22 points and 16 rebounds to help the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team hold on in a defensive battle with Cal Lutheran, winning 60-55 on Thursday evening at Roberts Pavilion.

CMS moves to 3-4 on the season and levels its record at 1-1 in the SCIAC, while Cal Lutheran slips to 4-3 and 1-1 in conference play.

CMS played the second half without leading scorer Josh Angle, who had 11 first-half points and was off to a fast start but had to leave the game with an injury after a scramble on the floor for a loose ball with 1:46 left in the half.

The Stags won the game on the defensive end, holding Cal Lutheran to just 21-60 shooting (35.0 percent), including 7-31 from three-point territory (22.6 percent). The Kingsmen also had just eight second-chance points, as CMS earned 34 of a possible 43 defensive rebounds. 

The Stags' offense went stagnant down the stretch of the first half even before Angle's injury, as Cal Lutheran cut a 23-10 CMS lead with 6:27 left in the half down to 23-20 at the break with a 10-0 run. Carter, though, carried the heaviest load in the second half, tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds in the final 20 minutes. 

Cal Lutheran, which struggled offensively early and trailed 18-4 midway through the first half, took its first and only lead at 35-34 with 10:55 to go, but Carter got an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Caelan Jones for a three-pointer to give CMS back the lead for good on the next possession. 

Will Householter knocked down a three-pointer moments later to stretch the lead back up to 40-35. After Cal Lutheran got back to within 42-40, Carter made two foul shots and a jumper to push the lead to six. Will King made a pair of foul shots to give CMS a 50-42 lead with 5:39 to go, and Cal Lutheran could only get as close as four on a three-pointer with seven seconds left the rest of the way. 

Caelan Jones finished with 12 points, while Angle had his 11 in only 17 minutes in the first half. Brock Susko and Patrick Renane each had 16 points for Cal Lutheran. 

CMS will be back in action when it faces California Miramar on Saturday at 4 p.m.