In a ‘Stag-ering’ display of dominance, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) men’s basketball proved they were no prey for the Panthers. Having only lost two conference games thus far, the Stags have continued their run of dominance into the final month of the season, defeating Chapman 82-79 on Feb. 4, at Roberts Pavilion.
With this win, the Stags improve to a 16-5 overall record and a 10-2 record in the SCIAC. However, this game was more than just an average regular season game. The Stags were out for revenge. On Saturday, Dec. 2, in their first meeting of the 2023-24 season, the Panthers clawed the Stags, defeating them 82-66 and handing them their first conference loss of the season.
Two months later, CMS came ready to defend their home turf, heading into the game with renewed confidence and an adjusted game plan that aimed to focus on the team’s play holistically. Josh Angle CG ’24 explained how the Stags used what they learned from their last match up with the Panthers to prepare for Saturday’s game, stressing the importance of playing well on both ends of the floor.
“When we played them last time, they made a bunch of threes on us so we made a lot of defensive adjustments after that game,” Angle said. “We wanted to make sure we were getting to their shooters … Offensively, we wanted to try to attack them in the ball screen and get good looks on the weak side, setting the weak side screens, fighting the roller when we could and making plays from there.”
Will Householter CM ’27 echoed Angle’s thoughts. He said the team discussed the necessity of having a complete game.
“We just have to crash the offensive glass really hard, hit some big shots down the stretch and defend all around,” Householter said.
The Stags’ game plan went into effect early, as tight defense and fast paced transition basketball set them up for success in the first half. A pair of steals by Reid Jones CM ’27 and Caelen Jones CG ’24 set up jump shots and layups to give CMS a quick 19-7 lead.
Center Rhett Carter CG ’24 emphasized the mental aspect of the game, reflecting on the team’s ability to bring energy straight from the tip-off.
“It is coming in with the right mentality and getting after it from the jump,” Carter said.
Building on their momentum, the Stags led by as much as 13 points in the first half. However, with just under 7 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, both teams went cold resulting in a two-and-a-half minute scoring drought.
CMS struggled to shoot the ball well during the first half, going just one for six, which allowed Chapman back into the game. In the remaining 5 minutes, Chapman converted four of five three-point attempts, bringing them back within striking distance of the Stags.
Still, the Stags managed to hold onto the lead going into halftime thanks to a jumper from James Frye CM ’26 and a layup from Angle, ending the half with the score at 33-30.
The second half began with a back and forth clash. A constant stream of Chapman jumpers was regularly met by CMS attacking on the interior. The physicality of the game matched the tension of the match-up with fouls flying from both sides.
With a little under 17 minutes remaining, the Panthers began to pull away for a brief period after a series of unanswered layups putting CMS in a 6 point deficit. However, the Stags quickly responded with a run of their own instigated by steals from Housesholter and Angle that were both converted into three pointers.
With 10 minutes remaining and the score tied at 57-57, Chapman’s three point shooting began to falter, opening the gate for the Stags to pull ahead with a four point lead with 3 minutes and 15 seconds on the clock. However, Chapman wouldn’t let the Stags off easy, answering back with a push of their own, making it a one possession game.
In the last two minutes of the game, the Stags truly came alive. In sharp contrast to their 16.7 three point shooting percentage in the first half, CMS jumped to a blistering 70 percent from deep. Consecutive threes from Caelan Jones, Angle and Householter pushed the Stags lead to 77-70.
However, the game wasn’t over yet as two layups in just 20 seconds by Chapman cut it to a four point game. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Householter was ice cold from the free throw line, knocking down all four of his shots to officially seal the victory for the Stags.
Angle credited CMS’s performance in crunch time to the team’s chemistry.
“At the end of the day, we trust ourselves and we trust each other,” Angle said. “When it comes down to those nitty gritty moments, we know that if we have a shooter with an open shot we want him to take it and today we saw the result of that.”
According to Householter, this win signified the team’s capacity to win the conference.
“If we play our style of basketball we can beat any team in this league,” Householter said.
After mounting another win against Redlands on Wednesday, Feb. the Stags stand at second in SCIAC, one game behind California Lutheran but with a game in hand as they head into their first sixth street encounter of the new year against Pomona-Pitzer.
Facebook Comments