CLAREMONT, Calif. --- Linfield men's basketball (1-4) fell behind early, unable to make a second-half comeback at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 70-48.
The CMS Stags jumped right out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes, with senior Dayton Magaña sinking the Wildcat's first three of the game shortly after.
Garrett Callsen also added a three with 15:25 remaining in the first half, making it 15-8 Stags.
Linfield went scoreless over the next five minutes, until
Lucca Hart ended the drought with the Wildcat's third make from beyond the arc.
Donovan Johnson and
Nalu Vargas joined in by sinking threes, with the last Linfield basket coming in a
Chase Bennett layup; CMS led 42-22 at the half.
The offensive woes continued into the final half, where Linfield was unable to get a bucket to fall in the first three minutes.
Kohsuke Fujiwara and Magaña were able to ring home threes, but the Stags lead continued to grow. In the final seven minutes, the 'Cats offense went on a 10-2 run, cutting into the deficit that previously grew to as high as 30.
CMS outscored Linfield by just two in the second half, but the Stags first half explosion propelled them to a 70-48 win on Friday evening.
Magaña led the Wildcats offensively with 13-points, grabbing two rebounds and also dishing a team-high four assists. Nine-different 'Cats scored in the game, with Fujiwara and Callsen showcasing strong defense with a pair of blocks and steals.
Men's basketball closes out the road trip tomorrow evening against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens at 5 p.m. in Claremont, California.
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