CLAREMONT, Calif. - Reid Jones had his second points-steals double-double in the first four games with 13 points and 10 thefts as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's basketball team won its home opener 79-69 over UC Santa Cruz on Friday evening at Roberts Pavilion. 

Will Householter had 17 points, Cahal Connolly had 16 and James Frye had 12 for the Stags, who improve to 4-0 on the young season with the win. UC Santa Cruz slips to 1-4 on the year with the loss. 

CMS led by two at the half (32-30) behind eight Jones steals in the first 20 minutes alone, although he picked up his third foul in the final minute of the half. The Stags built a lead up to as many as 11 on two occasions, and had to fight off a late UC Santa Cruz comeback, as the Banana Slugs closed to within two points twice, the second with 2:45 left to make the score 67-65. 

Frye knocked down two foul shots, and the Stags forced a travel with some backcourt pressure. Householter then had a big driving basket to stretch the lead to six. Jones picked up his 10th steal in a key moment, by chasing a UC Santa Cruz ballhandler from behind, knocking the ball free, diving on the ground and calling a timeout. 

Householter then knocked down two foul shots with 1:12 to go to push the lead up to 73-65, and Frye answered a UC Santa Cruz basket with two more foul shots. Householter and Nathan Noronha capped off the win with four more foul shots, as CMS shot 13-13 from the line in the second half, as well as 18-20 for the game (90 percent). 

Jones also had 10 steals in a 103-65 road win over George Fox two weeks ago, earning SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He now has 25 steals through four games (6.3 per contest). The NCAA Division III leader a year ago, Vincent Rodriguez of Greenville, averaged 3.9, while the all-time record is 6.3, set by Moses Jean-Pierre of Plymouth State in 1994.   

CMS will be back in action tomorrow when it takes on Willamette for a 6 p.m. contest.