PARKLAND – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps used a 10-1 scoring run in the final three minutes of play to claim a come-from-behind 72-68 nonconference women's basketball win over Pacific Lutheran Thursday night at Names Family Court.
Pacific Lutheran falls to 1-2 overall this season, while Claremont improves to 3-0. The Lutes return to action next weekend, traveling to Bellingham to take on Western Washington on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and St. Martins on Nov. 30 at 2:30 p.m. in the WWU Lynda Goodrich Tournament.
Samantha Potter posted her second consecutive double-double with a season-best 25 points and 12 rebounds. Shelly Kilcup scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds to go with three assists, while Katelyn Smith finished with a game-high 15 rebounds and added five assists.
Madeline Barnes scored a game-high 27 points for the Athenas, while Kyra Ray tallied 11. Kimberly Scamman finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Claire Donnelly led CMS with 10 rebounds.
The first half featured three tie scores and six lead changes, wrapping up with PLU holding a 35-31 advantage. Claremont tied the game up at 39-39 on a free throw by Barnes five minutes into the second half, but Potter completed a three-point play with a layup and a foul shot to spark a 12-4 run that put PLU ahead 51-43.
Pacific Lutheran spent the next several minutes inching toward a chance to put the Athenas away, as a jumper by Kilcup made it 59-48 with 7:20 remaining to give PLU its first double-digit lead of the game. Jai Dungca responded with a three-pointer for Claremont, and the Athenas scored 12 of the next 16 points to pull within three at 63-60 with four minutes to play.
Potter made four straight free throws as the Lutes pushed their lead back up to 67-62 with 3:02 to go, but the Athenas scored the next six points and claimed their first lead of the second half with 1:01 remaining on Donnelly's layup.
Andrea Adams tied it with a free throw, but another Donnelly layup put the Athenas up 70-68. After a PLU turnover, Barnes made one free throw to give the visitors a three-point lead. Kilcup missed a three-pointer with six seconds remaining, and a free throw by Dungca in the closing seconds sealed the win for Claremont.
PLU out-rebounded CMS 51-to-41, but the Lutes shot 30.3 percent (10-of-33) in the second half while the Athenas made 16 of 33 shot attempts (48.5 percent) during that same stretch. The Lutes attempted 38 free throws – making 26 – in a game that included 54 fouls, but long-range proved to be a problem for the Lutes as they made only two of 19 attempts (10.5 percent) from long range.
