CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team trailed Pomona-Pitzer by 11 with less than five minutes to play, came all the way back to force overtime on a buzzer-beating 10-footer from Reid Jones, and then won it 72-71 in the second overtime on a putback from AJ Rohosy with 4.7 seconds left on Saturday evening at Voelkel Gymnasium.

With the win, CMS improves to 12-4 overall and 6-1 in the SCIAC, bouncing back from a narrow loss to Cal Lutheran on Wednesday for its first conference defeat. Pomona-Pitzer falls to 10-7 overall and 4-4 in conference play with the loss. 

CMS trailed 71-70 in the final minute of the second overtime, but Joey Kennedy came up with a blocked shot on a three-point attempt to result in a shot clock violation for the Sagehens with 45 seconds left. The Stags then had four chances to take the lead, with Kennedy coming up with a big offensive rebound in the closing seconds to keep the possession alive, before Rohosy got another one. He was then able to convert through contact to put CMS in front with the only field goal the Stags made in the second overtime with just 4.7 seconds left.

After a timeout, Pomona-Pitzer had one last desperation chance for the win, but missed on a three-pointer from the corner. The Sagehens ended up getting to the rebound and converted a putback, but it came just after the buzzer, as CMS was able to hold on for the thrilling win. 

The Stags were also down by one in the final minute of the first overtime, but Neil Owens knocked down a clutch three-pointer with 20 seconds to go to put CMS ahead 69-67. It would have been Owens' second game-winner in the last week, after he also had a fadeaway to break a tie and defeat Chapman with 4.3 seconds left on Saturday, but Pomona-Pitzer was able to beat the buzzer with a Ty Bergman lay-up off an offensive rebound to send the game to a second extra session. 

In regulation, CMS trailed 58-47, but came all the way back to tie on a Joey Kennedy basket with 2:09 to go. After an exchange of stops, the Sagehens went ahead on a Joe Cookson lay-up with 21 seconds left, but Reid Jones was able to come through with the clutch fadeaway from the elbow that bounced around and fell though before the horn to force the game into an extra session. Jones was pivotal on both ends in the late comeback, as he had steals on three straight Pomona-Pitzer possessions during the 11-0 run to help the Stags get back even. 

After extending the game past the regulation 40, Caelan Jones twice put the Stags ahead in overtime, first on a driving lay-up to start the scoring, and then on a three-pointer to put CMS ahead 66-65 with 2:49 left. Samir O'Brien scored to put the Sagehens ahead with 1:48 to go, before Owens put the Stags in front with 20 seconds left. 

Caelan Jones finished with 18 points to lead the Stags, while Rohosy had 14 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, and Kennedy finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. The Stags also turned the ball over only six times in a tightly-contested double-overtime game, compared to 22 for Pomona-Pitzer. 

CMS will be back in action on Monday when it travels to Occidental in a game which was rescheduled after a Jan. 8 contest was postponed.