Despite a furious second half surge, the University of La Verne's comeback effort against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps fell short as the Leopards dropped a 73-67 decision to the Stags in SCIAC men's basketball action Wednesday night at Frantz Athletic Court.
La Verne trailed the Stags by as many as 27 points in the second half before launching a frantic surge over the next nine minutes of action that would result in the Leopards coming within three points in the final minute of play.
CMS led 39-20 points at the half and continued to control the opening minutes of the second half. A basket from Cody Mivshek with 10:54 remaining would give the Stags a 60-33 cushion.
But La Verne battled back and began to cut into the margin with pressure defense to seize momentum as it embarked on a 33-9 run to turn a potential runaway for the Stags into a one possession contest in the game's final minute.
CMS led 64-41 before the Leos reeled off 10 straight points to pull within 13 points at 64-51. A three-point field goal from Jourdan Simmonds at 3:42 pulled La Verne to within single digits at 65-56.
The Leopards (1-3, 0-2 SCIAC) closed the gap to 67-62 on another Simmonds three-pointer with 1:08 remaining, and moved within three points on a steal and layup from Brett Stephan with 42 seconds left to trail 69-66. But the Stags would hold on as Jason Harrington scored on a tip-in with 14 seconds to extend their lead to 71-66 and eventually escape with the win.
The Stags (4-4, 3-0 SCIAC) grabbed an early 13-7 lead and extended the margin to 13 points to take a 24-11 advantage at the 8:00 mark. CMS continued to build on its lead would go up 19 points at intermission. CMS went 11-15 from the free throw line en route in first half action. For the game, the Stags attempted 46 free throws, connecting on 32.
Remy Pinson totaled 22 points for the Stags while Mivshek added 21 in the win. For La Verne, Jake Vieth totaled a game-high 23 points while Simmonds also reached double figures with 11.
The Leopards return to the hardwood on Saturday as it plays host to Pomona-Pitzer in a 7:30 pm start at Frantz Athletic Court.
