Stags Win Early SCIAC Showdown
The Stags piled up an 8-3 non-conference record with hot shooting and transition offense. That offense struggled on Wednesday night, but the Stags beat Cal Lutheran (9-4, 1-1 SCIAC), 59-55, with gritty defense and strong rebounding the blueprint of the recent top CMS squads. The Kingsmen were an early favorite to win the league after defeating Occidental on the road, but CMS (10-3, 2-0 SCIAC) put itself in pole position with two wins in two league games.
In the offseason, Scalmanini landed four transfers and six new freshmen, giving his team extraordinary strength off the bench. Wednesday night, the depth was apparent, as the Stags bench contributed 26 points. Cal Lutheran's bench scored three points and their starters were tired at the end of the game. Conner Faught (JR, Agoura Hills) had 11 points and four steals, Patrick Lacey (SO, Orangevale [pictured]) added nine points, three rebounds and a block and Matt Richardson (FR, Belmont) had six points and two steals.
CMS never led by more than 10 points, but never surrendered the lead. The Stags started the game with hot offense and airtight defense, holding the Kingsmen to seven points in the game's first eight minutes including six turnovers on their first seven possessions. When Faught and Richardson hit back-to-back three-pointers, CMS had a 17-7 lead. However, a run of turnovers and missed shots allowed Cal Lutheran to close the gap to 29-28 at the half.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, but the Stags had an answer for every Cal Lutheran rally. Down five with a minute to play, the Kingsmen brought a full-court press. With 29 seconds to play, Greg Grimm hit a three-pointer to trim the Stags' lead to 57-55. Senior Austin Soldner (Southlake, TX) was quickly fouled, and Cal Lutheran had a chance to tie the game with a three pointer after he made one of two shots. The Kingsmen called time to draw up a final play, but it didn't work; Faught notched his fourth steal, foiling Cal Lutheran's plans for a road upset.
Neither team shot above 50% from the field, and the Kingsmen must regret turning the ball over 26 times - one out of every three trips down the court. CMS held Cal Lutheran to three offensive rebounds; Chris Blees (SO, Carmichael) pulled down eight rebounds and Bryant Oberg (SO, Claremont) had five.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps's next game at home is this Saturday night against Occidental, who won the league last season, but have struggled so far this season. The Tigers lost 70-39 to Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday.
