Men's Basketball stymied at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps

CLAREMONT, Calif. — The University of La Verne men's basketball team struggled from the field and fell to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 66-39, at Rains Center on Saturday night.

How it happened: La Verne never got going offensively. The Leopards just shot 31 percent from the field and Hakim Arnold, who went into the game shooting 52.3 percent, was held to just 3 of 12 on the night.

The Leopards hung with the defending SCIAC champions early but the Stags seized control at about the midway point of first half and never looked back. CMS used a pair of three-points from Tyler Gaffaney to go on a 13-2 run and went into the break with a 30-19 lead.

CMS picked up where it left off in the second half and extended the lead, as the Leopards continued to have trouble getting shots to fall.

Players of the game: Cruz Mertens led the Leopards with 12 points, all of which came from beyond the arc. The sophomore was 4-of-6 from long range.

Gaffaney, the reigning SCIAC Athlete of the Year, was a threat all night long and finished with 30 points and seven rebounds.

What it means: After beating Pomona-Pitzer on Jan. 6, La Verne drops its third game in a row. La Verne falls to 1-3 in SCIAC.

Up next: The road doesn't get any easier for La Verne. The Leopards host first-place and 20^th-ranked Chapman on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.