CLAREMONT, Calif. — Cal Lutheran's KJ Moffett poured in a career-high 30 points, but the Kingsmen's second half comeback fell short as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags held on and walked away with an 80-72 victory Monday night in Roberts Pavilion.
Moffeet shot 13-of-16 from the field as he led the Kingsmen (3-9, 1-4 SCIAC) in scoring. He added four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Michael Wadsworth came off the bench and scored 11 points for the Violet and Gold. Kyle Ferreira made it three Kingsmen in double-digits as he chipped in with 10. Austin Cole and Palmer Chaplin each scored five points apiece. Cole led the team with five rebounds.
The Kingsmen shot 50-percent from the field (26-for-52) and 83-percent from the free throw line (15-18). The difference maker in the game was rebounds. The Stags tallied 39 total rebounds to CLU's 25. Out of the 39 rebounds for CMS, 12 were offensive.
The game went back and forth early on and was tied five times throughout the first 14 minutes. With the score tied at 20, the Kingsmen took the lead after two made free throws by Cole. The Stags then scored six straight and took back the lead. A little bit later, with CMS up 26-24, Ferreira hit a three-pointer and CLU went back ahead 27-26. With the score tied at 31, CMS scored the final five points of the half and had a 36-31 lead.
The Stags continued that run at the start of the second half, scoring 12 more points, and increased their lead to 48-31. Altogether, CMS scored 17 straight points unanswered. The Kingsmen wouldn't back down and continued to fight. A little bit later, CLU answered with a run of its own, eight straight points, and cut the lead to single digits at 52-43. Ferreira, Moffett and Wadsworth each scored during the run. The teams went back and forth in scoring over the next few minutes and CMS kept the 10-point lead. With 1:50 left in the game, Wadsworth knocked down a three, and CLU trailed by seven, 72-65. Cal Lutheran continued to grind and got the lead down to five, 75-70, with 43 seconds left. The Stags wouldn't let the Kingsmen get any closer and won the game 80-72.
Four Stags (5-7, 3-1 SCIAC) scored in double-digits led Michael Scarlett with 21. Kendrick Morris was a force around the basket and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and tallied two blocks.
Up next for Cal Lutheran is Redlands. The Kingsmen host the Bulldogs Saturday at 2 p.m. in Gilbert Arena.
Box Score: CMS 80, CLU 72
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
