CMS Women's Basketball Grinds Out Key 54-49 Road Win at Chapman

ORANGE, Calif. – Austyn Masuno had 17 points and 15 rebounds and Jacey Carter added 13 points as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team moved over .500 in SCIAC play with a key 54-49 road win over Chapman on Saturday evening.

With the win, CMS improves to 6-9 overall and 4-3 in the SCIAC. Chapman, which had a game-high 26 points from Julia Strand, falls to 4-8 overall and 3-3 in league play with the defeat.

Chapman never led in the game until a Strand free throw with 8:52 left put the Panthers ahead 37-36. Carter knocked down a three-pointer to put CMS right back in front, but Julianna Campas made a three-pointer for Chapman to answer and make it a 40-39 Panther lead.

The CMS defense then clamped down, though, for a key 7-0 run, as Masuno gave the Athenas the lead for good. Grace Florendo then hit a bank shot, Flora Dugerian converted on an up-and-under move and Mary Markaryan hit a foul shot to put CMS ahead by six.

Chapman got back to within 48-47, but Masuno hit a big lefty jump-hook in the paint with 1:44 to go to stretch the lead to three. The Athenas then got a couple of key stops, before Masuno knocked down two foul shots with 30.8 seconds left to make it a five-point lead. Florendo then stepped into the passing lane for a steal and made two foul shots to seal it.      

CMS got off to a strong start, as Carter began the game with a three-pointer, and Markaryan hit a shot to give the Athenas a 12-4 advantage. The Panthers closed back to within 12-10 at the end of the first quarter, but CMS maintained the lead throughout a defensive second quarter, taking a 23-18 lead into the break after two Masuno foul shots.

An 8-0 run enabled Chapman to pull even for the first time at 29-29 with 3:58 left in the third, but Masuno hit a layup and Carter hit a three-pointer for a quick 5-0 run, and CMS was able to take a 36-33 lead into the final period.

The Athenas had a big edge on the boards, led by Masuno's 15, holding a 45-30 advantage for the game. CMS also held Chapman to just 30.4 percent shooting from the floor.

CMS will be back in action on Monday when it steps out of conference for a 1 p.m. game against Lincoln University (Oakland) on Martin Luther King Day, and then gets back to SCIAC play on Saturday when it hosts Redlands for a 7 p.m. contest.