Men's Basketball traveled to the West Coast to face Claremont Mudd Scripps and Redlands. After picking up a win Friday against the Stags and Athenas, Redlands had a strong defensive showing to give the Celts the first loss of the season.
Claremont Mudd Scripps 84-79
Nick Anderson opened the game's scoring with a three forcing CMS to play behind from the opening tip. From there the Celts only added to their lead not letting the Stags tie the score at all at any point in the first half. As the game continued to progress, the first half ended with St. Thomas taking a nine-point lead into the locker room 42-33. The second half opened with Claremont Mudd Scripps going on a 10-2 run as they attempted to get back into the game. They got as close as two points 53-51, yet the Celts responded with a 10-2 run of their own to secure an 84-79 victory.
Freshman Nick Anderson led the Celts with 21 points in the game and tied the team-high with four rebounds and two blocks. Andrew Nguyen also dished out three assists.
Redlands 72-80
At the beginning of the game, both teams buckets early as the score was always within three. St. Thomas was finally able to break this close score as a three from Ricky Altamirano gave the Celts a four point lead, and Calen Anderson added a layup. From there, the Redlands defense tightened, and St. Thomas committed key fouls as the first half ended with a 43-38 lead in favor of the Bulldogs. In the second half, St. Thomas struggled to play from behind as Redlands continued to add to their lead. As the clock winded down, any late-game comeback was halted by the Bulldog defense held and won 80-72.
Three Celts had a team-high 17 points apiece, as Freddie Ricks, Nick Anderson, and Calvin Williams contributed. Calen Anderson led with six rebounds, and Andrew Nguyen, Ricky Altamirano, and Zack Golaszewski had four assists each.
Up next, Men's Basketball continues its non-conference schedule against the University of Texas-Dallas. The game will be played on November 23rd at 2 pm as St. Thomas will travel to UTD.
