With spectacular finish to the season, 13th-year Head Coach Jim Ducey and second-year Assistant Tim Bross secured a home game and the No. 2 seed in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament with a 19-6 overall record and a 12-4 mark in the SCIAC. Entering the tournament on a nine-game win streak, the Bulldogs will face off against No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Friday, February, 28, at 7 p.m.
These two rivals met twice this season and split the series 1-1. In mid-January on the road, the Stags got the upper hand with a strong shooting night in a 77-60 win. A little over a month later when they squared up inside Currier Gym, first-year forward Griffin Barker (Kirkland, WA) led the team with 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting in an 82-80 victory.
The Bulldogs are led by senior forward David Menary (Grass Valley, CA), who averages 14.7 points per game for the season. He also impacts the game in other areas with 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and one block per game. Within SCIAC competition, Barker has been a force with a team-high 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Bulldogs showcase the highest-scoring offense in the conference with 85.0 points per game. They lead the conference in made three-pointers by a margin of 22 with 168 and also own the second-best three-point percentage at 38.1%. In addition to pacing the SCIAC in offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, the Bulldogs also dish out the most assists with an average of 19.0 per game. Defensively, they are second in the conference with 8.8 steals per night.
The Stags enter the tournament at 19-6 overall and 11-5 in the SCIAC. CMS started with a 1-2 record in conference but gained momentum with a 7-0 run midway through the season. In a tight battle for the postseason, the Stags ended the season 3-3 to earn the No. 3 seed.
CMS is led by senior center Jeremy Horn (Lower Merion, PA) with 11.4 points per game. He leads the team with a 54.7% shooting percentage and 5.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Miles President (Chino Hills, CA) joins Horn as the only other player to average double-figures with 10.9 points per game. He shoots at an efficient rate of 44.2% from the field and 42.5% from the perimeter. He also knocks down 82.7% of his free throws. As a team, the Stags lead the SCIAC in blocks with 3.8 per game.
In the No. 1 versus No. 4 matchup, top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges will host Occidental College on Friday, February 28, at 7 p.m.
The winners of Friday's contests advance to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament final on the campus of the highest remaining seed on Saturday, February 29. The time of tip-off will be determined by the host.
Live stats and streaming will be available for all tournament games through the SCIAC Portal.
Ticket prices for admission to SCIAC Postseason Tournament matches are set by the conference and are as follows:
Spectators w/ current SCIAC ID (Students, Faculty, Staff) – Free
Children 12 and under – Free
Seniors (55 and older) & Military Personnel - $5
General Admission - $10
