MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Hugenerd]

What a heartbreaker.  Caltech led 60-59 with 21 s left.  La Verne hit the game winner with 6 s left and Caltech missed the desperation shot at the buzzer.

[CMSfan]

Stags 73, Whittier 65

Box Score: http://www.cmsathletics.org/sports/mbkb/2010-11/files/WC-CMS.HTM

CMS got back to their winning ways tonight in a tough battle with Whittier.  I think the Stags were lucky to get out of this one with a W, because this was the ugliest game I've seen all year.  CMS turned the ball over 21 times.  Whittier's aggressive and relentless defense, combined with an officiating crew that let way too many fouls slide, kept the Stags from establishing an offensive rhythm.  The saving grace was a 2-3 minute stretch in the second half when Kevin Sullivan hit three consecutive 3's to help CMS regain the lead.

Sullivan led the Stags with 13 points.  Joey Anderson had a nice line with 12 points, 12 boards (6 offensive), 3 blocks, and a steal.  Nathan Easterman came off the bench with 17 points to lead the Poets.

[OxyBob]

Caltech-ULV article in the Pasadena Star-News:

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/sports/ci_17277813

In the other two SCIAC games, Oxy edged Redlands 55-53, and knocked the Bulldogs out of a first-place tie with Claremont, and CLU beat Pomona 61-52.

Saturday's schedule, all games 7:00 p.m.:

Cal Lutheran (10-9, 4-4 SCIAC) @ La Verne (11-8, 6-2)
Caltech (4-15, 0-8) @ Redlands (9-10, 6-2)
Pomona (6-13, 2-6) @ Whittier (9-10, 4-4)
Claremont (11-7, 7-1) @ Oxy (9-10, 3-5)

OxyBob

[WoostAr]

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_17253552?source=rss

Whittier coach comments after playing Caltech last saturday

http://www.cosida.com/media/documents/2011/2/2010_11_AAA_MBB_All_District_Teams.pdf

Ryan Elmquist makes first team Academic All District

[Fan O SCIAC]

Does anyone know why Hanley did not play in the victory over Redlands Wednesday?

[OxyBob]

Does anyone know why Hanley did not play in the victory over Redlands Wednesday?

Ankle.

OxyBob

[stag44]

Always a fun matchup tonight at Rush Gymnasium for the Stags

The Stags have wont their last 3 games at Oxy and look to continue their run through the SCIAC with another win.

Oxy is coming off a HUGE win @ Redlands and will be looking to keep momentum going.

There is should be a great crowd on a Saturday night.

Look for the Stags to bring a renewed focus after playing poorly the last two games. They were lucky to get a win vs Whitter with big play from Joey and Sully.

Oxy is fighting for a playoff spot now.

I'll be watching online, should be fun.

CMS wins a close one 58-52

[cmsme]

A three way tie for first place     There are going to be some hard faught games coming up--even Caltech is a battle. 
And cheers to Oxy for knocking off the top two team, after having such a terrrible start.
Any predicitons on the top 4 teams that will go to tournament?

[Sabretooth Tiger]

From the Tiger Athletics website:

Tigers stun Stags to start Second Round of SCIAC play

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Beginning the second round of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action tonight at Rush Gymnasium before a packed house, the Occidental College men's basketball team stunned the visiting, current conference leading, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags' earning a 49-43 victory in a back-and-forth battle.

Trailing by a point, 20-19, at the intermission after a first half in which the score spread was never more than three, the Tigers got the spark they needed from a pair of freshmen with 7:04 to play in regulation.

Kris Montoya drove the baseline, splitting a pair of Stags' defenders, attempting an acrobatic reverse layup, which bounced on the rim and trickled off the edge. There to retrieve the ball was classmate Ty Cobb, who grabbed the offensive rebounds and layed in the ball, giving the Tigers a 35-34 lead.

Occidental would never look back, using the Cobb basket as the first of four consecutive for an 8-0 run to open a seven point lead.

"Our three freshmen stepped up in a big way tonight," head coach Brian Newhall shared post-game. "Cobb, [Drew] Dockweiler and Montoya were all in the game when we extended our lead to seven points. They are growing up in front us."

CMS would get back within a pair, but the Tigers dug down and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 2:07 with a pair apiece from Montoya, Drew Dockweiler, Jake Copithorne and Deshun McCoy. Overall the Tigers were 17-for-19 from the charity stripe tonight.

Sidelined on Wednesday night, Jack Hanley ended up leading all players with 12 points, including a 2-for-2 performance from three-point range on his only two shots of the first half. He added a 4-for-4 night at the line.

"Hanley gave us a nice boost off of the bench as he gutted it out and played through a painful ankle sprain from earlier in the week," Newhall commented following the victory.

McCoy and Montoya finished with eight and seven points, respectively while Sam Stapleton chipped in with six as he controlled the pace of the game as the Tigers' point guard.

"Stapleton is a worker," Newhall added. "He is a pleasure to coach. Sam is all about the team. His work ethic and practice habits are incredible and will definitely bode well in the future."

Dockweiler was the only other Tiger in double figures tonight with 10. He continued his solid playing ways, going 3-for-3 in the opening period, finishing 4-for-5 from the floor. Additionally he led the squad with eight rebounds.

All eight Oxy players who stepped on the hardwood came away with a rebound tonight. Jake Copithorne continues to be strong on the glass, finishing with seven boards and was the only Oxy player with more than one offensive rebound. Occidental out rebounded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 31-26 although the Stags finished with nine offensive rebounds to the Tigers' seven.

As a unit the Tigers played a very sound game, keeping things close. The teams were tied 10 times and the lead changed 11 times during the 40 minutes. Occidental held CMS to a 28 field goal percentage tonight.

"We played a solid game on defense," Newhall went on, "Our effort and focus in the second half was much better tonight than it has been."

Earlier in the season, the Tigers lacked focus at times and were unable to finish out some close games, starting the SCIAC season 0-4. Since then, they are 4-1, with their only loss an overtime heart breaker to Cal Lutheran University.

The win pushes the Tigers' record to 10-9 overall, 4-5 in SCIAC play while the Stags fall to 11-8, 7-2.

"CMS is the team to beat," Newhall noted, showing the respect that he has for their program. "Coach Scalmanini has turned CMS into one of the top teams on the West Coast. We cannot forget that they are playing without defending SCIAC Player of the Year Chris Blees and back up center Greyson Blue and. Ken [Scalmanini] is doing an outstanding job."

Occidental will be on the road for a pair, beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 9 when they travel to the University of La Verne. The Tigers and Leopards will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

[OxyBob]

Wednesday's schedule, all games 7:30 p.m.:

Caltech (4-16, 0-9 SCIAC) @ Pomona (6-14, 2-7)
Cal Lutheran (10-10, 4-5) @ Claremont (11-8, 7-2)
Redlands (10-10, 7-2) @ Whittier (10-10, 5-4)
Oxy (10-10, 4-5) @ La Verne (12-8, 7-2)

After starting the conference season 0-4, Oxy has won 4 of 5, with the only loss in OT to CLU. ULV took down Oxy 52-49 in Rush. Oxy prevails in the rematch. Big game for Whittier. Payback's a bitch, Redlands. Advantage WC. CLU needs a win to stay in the race for a spot in the conference tournament. Unfortunately they won't get it in the Temple of Doom. And you heard it here first: I predict that Caltech will end its 306-game SCIAC losing streak at Pomona.

OxyBob

[CMSfan]

I predict that Caltech will end its 306-game SCIAC losing streak at Pomona.

That would make me happy.

[WoostAr]

I find myself on the same page as OxyBob here, Caltech should win this and the streak should end....CMS wins easy (of course I've been wrong on them the last couple weeks), Oxy and LaVerne will be tight (coin flip), I think Whittier takes down Redlands (haven't been too impressed with Redlands this year)

I've thought all along that a single win for Caltech would turn into several wins (much like it did in their non-conference season)....it will be interesting to see what happens to the team's demeanor when the win finally happens...they're confident and chippy to begin with...I imagine a win will only increase their confidence/swagger.

[breakfromcoaching]

I find myself on the same page as OxyBob here, Caltech should win this and the streak should end....CMS wins easy (of course I've been wrong on them the last couple weeks), Oxy and LaVerne will be tight (coin flip), I think Whittier takes down Redlands (haven't been too impressed with Redlands this year)

I've thought all along that a single win for Caltech would turn into several wins (much like it did in their non-conference season)....it will be interesting to see what happens to the team's demeanor when the win finally happens...they're confident and chippy to begin with...I imagine a win will only increase their confidence/swagger.

Should Caltech win Wednesday, their Alumni Event on Saturday against Whittier will be electric.  It's going to be a great event nonetheless, but the energy from everyone coming back along with the streak being over (and the possibility of a 2 game winning streak in conference) would be a wonderful thing to see.

How bad do the Caltech guys want it?  I know their coaches do.

[Hoopsallthetime]

Caltech will not win at Pomona...I will guarantee that. Katz will not let that happen to his team nor to his program. The Sagehens may be having a bad year, but that will not include losing to the Beavers. It will be a good game I believe, but Pomona will pull it out in the end. I would look more towards the Whittier game if you are looking for a first win. Just my opinion...and let's not get to ahead of ourselves!

[dahlby]

Good bulletin board material for Pomona!