TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's basketball team was unable to replicate last night's comeback magic at the Doug McArthur Classic, nearly erasing a 15-point deficit before ultimately falling 66-60 to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday to close out the tournament. 

"Some early season mental fatigue tonight. After an emotional win last night that required a lot both mentally and physically I didn't think we responded well to the adversity that this game brought us," said Head Coach Chad Murray.

The Lutes (2-1) were staring at a 15-point deficit with 6:42 left in the game, trailing 60-45. Brett Williams canned a three to touch off a 15-3 run while Seth Hall drilled a three of his own with 36 seconds left, narrowing the gap to a single possession at 63-60. The Stags (2-0) wouldn't back down in the waning seconds, hit three free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

"Give credit to Claremont, they were a really physical and skilled team. They answered the bell each time we made a push, including when when we cut it to three. We put ourselves in a tough spot and dug ourselves quite a hole due to some lackluster offensive execution and some costly turnovers."

The first half saw four lead changes and three ties with Claremont enjoying a 33-29 lead at the break. 

Hall paced the Lutes for the second straight game, dropping 18 points, including hitting three of his six attempts from distance. Sean McCurdy added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench while Jordan Thomas and Tyler Ashmore both scored eight points. Thomas additionally had a team-high 10 rebounds and four assists.

"We're glad this happened now though, we will learn from this and be better next time when we get challenged by another team later in the season."

Pacific Lutheran is back on the hardwood on Tuesday, facing Division I Seattle University in an exhibition game. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.