Caelan Jones Scores 30 as Stags Basketball Pulls Away for Senior Day Win

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Caelan Jones scored a career-high 30 points as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team broke open a one-point game at the half to take an 84-62 win over La Verne on Wednesday evening at Roberts Pavilion.

The Stags also celebrated Senior Day with three graduate students playing in their final regular season home game: Josh Angle, Rhett Carter and Will King. Jones is also a graduate student, but plans to return next year for his final season of eligibility while completing his graduate degree. 

The win improves CMS to 17-6 overall and 12-3 in the SCIAC, with one league game left at Whittier on Tuesday. With a win, the Stags can earn the second seed in the SCIAC and the right to host a semifinal if Pomona-Pitzer (11-3) loses at first-place Cal Lutheran on Saturday. The Kingsmen (14-1) clinched the regular season title and the top seed with their win over Whittier on Wednesday. 

Angle finished with 15 points to push him over 1500 in his career (1513, which ranks sixth all-time in CMS history). He knocked down one three-pointer to raise his career total in that category to 215, which is seven shy of the CMS record held by Bob Donlan ('02).  

Carter finished with 11 points, which now gives him 944 in his career, in striking distance of 1000 if the Stags make the SCIAC Tournament championship game. King had five points and two assists, giving him 902 points and 503 assists in his college career, including three seasons at Colby (for context, 503 assists would rank second in CMS history if he had played his whole career with the Stags). 

CMS nearly went into the locker room trailing, but Jones knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give him 14 points at the half and put the Stags up 36-35. He then started the second half with a lay-up and a dunk, and Angle hit two foul shots to make it a 9-0 run over both halves. 

The Stags then put it away with a 12-0 run to turn a 55-47 lead into a 20-point advantage at 67-47 with 8:33 left on a King lay-up to beat the shot clock. 

James Frye chipped in with a double-double for CMS with 13 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Stags to a 41-29 advantage on the glass, grabbing 10 of his boards on the defensive end as the Leopards had only four offensive rebounds as a team. 

CMS will have a bye on Saturday and close out the regular season on Tuesday at Whittier. The Stags already know that they will play Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC Semifinals on Friday, but home court advantage is still to be determined.