Stags Defense Shuts Down Tigers
OCCIDENTAL, CA - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps used stifling defense and excellent finishing around the basket to beat Occidental College on Wednesday night, 55-33 pushing the Stags to 7-3 in league and dropping Occidental to 5-5. Stags went on a 13-1 run early in the 1st half and never looked back, Leading the tigers by 22 at halftime. After allowing Cal Lutheran to score 80 points on Saturday, the Stags intense defensive effort held Occidental to its lowest offensive output this season.
The game started slowly in a nearly empty Rush Gymnasium. CMS, neutralizing Occidental's inside game, held the Tigers to 5 points in the first ten minutes. When Tejas Gala scored on a spin move in the post to put the Stags up ten, Occidental coach Bryan Newhall needed a timeout to rally his troops. The Tigers could not score from the 3-point line, and the Stags smothered big man Sean Anderson inside, limiting him to 2 points. At the other end, CMS was finishing well around the rim, scoring on two reverse layups by junior Ben Bergsma (JR, Chandler AZ [pictured]) and two strong drives from Jason Toney (JR, Yorba Linda). Bergsma put the punctuation mark on the Stags' best half of the season when he was fouled sinking a three-pointer with 2 seconds to go.
The Occidental players looked beaten when they reappeared for warm-ups in the second half; and things didn't get much better for the Tigers. Michael Bagby (Jr, Coupleville, WA) was on fire, sinking three of four three-pointers in the 2nd half to with finish with 19 pts.on 7-10 shooting. Bergsma capped a career-high scoring night with a backdoor layup on an excellent no-look feed from Aleksis Psychas and Chris Blees finished with 7pts. and 8 rebounds.
The Stags were playing without guards Conner Faught and Beau Heidrich due to injuries, but they did not need those players last night in Los Angeles. The victory sets the stage for the season's biggest game this Saturday night against Pomona-Pitzer, who beat Redlands 64-55 last night and is 9-1 so far in SCIAC. Saturday is Valentine's Day, but there's no love lost between the two teams; the Sagehens have won the last 5 meetings between the two teams. It's Parents Weekend in Claremont, which should make for a packed Ducey Gym.
