Men's basketball falls to CMS in SCIAC semis

CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Chapman University men's basketball team's season came to an end in the semifinals of the SCIAC Tournament with a 83-72 loss to top-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday. SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Reed Smith led the Panthers (17-9) with 17 points.

Chapman went up early, building a 10-8 lead in the first three minutes after a three-pointer from sophomore Reed Nakakihara. Chapman and CMS continued to trade baskets over the next eight minutes to hold on to the slight advantage.

With 7:53 left in the first half, senior Tyler Green gave the Panthers their biggest lead with a three-pointer that made it 26-21. CMS sunk four three-pointers over the next four minutes to turn the deficit into a slight 33-28 advantage.

Chapman heated up from long distance as Nakakihara and senior Rob Nelsen hit back-to-back triple to regain the lead. However, CMS ended the half on an 8-3 run to take a 41-37 lead into halftime.

Michael Scarlett was at the center of the CMS runs and turned in 13 of his 17 points in the first half. Scott Lynds scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Stags, scoring 11 of those in the second half.

Chapman scored the first six points of the second half to take a 43-41 lead but a Scarlett steal led to a layup for Jack Ely on the other end to tie the game back up at 43-43. The steal and score sparked an 11-1 run that put CMS in command the rest of the game as the lead grew to 16 at its greatest.

All five starters were in double digits for Chapman led by Smith's 17 points. In his final game, senior Luke Selway fell just shy of a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds. He also had three assists and two blocks. Green scored 10 points in his final game while fellow senior Nelsen scored eight of his 11 in the second half.

The Panthers end the season with a 17-9 overall record and return the majority of their roster, including SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Smith.