LOS ANGELES — Kris Montoya passed the 1,000-point mark, freshman Andrew Johnson just keeps getting better and point guard Kory Hamane had 11 points and no turnovers.
But the Occidental College men's basketball team couldn't keep up with first-place Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in a 68-50 loss at Rush Gymnasium on Saturday.
The Tigers drop below .500 for the first time since losing to Bethesda on Nov. 30, falling to 6-7 and 2-3 in SCIAC play.
CMS improves to 9-4 and remains unbeaten in conference play at 4-0.
Montoya, who's averaged double figures in all four seasons at Oxy, hit 1,000 career points on the dot with a free throw in the first half. At the next dead ball, the senior was recognized for his four-year milestone with a round of applause from the Oxy crowd.
"It's a major accomplishment that I'm very proud of, but I wish it would have come on a night when we pulled out a win," said Montoya, who finished with 10 on the night and is now at 1,009 on his career. "I have to thank my teammates for helping me accomplish this milestone. Without them it wouldn't have been possible. I have truly enjoyed my past four years at Oxy and wouldn't trade my experience or teammates for anything."
Johnson played inside and on the perimeter, finishing with 12 points in 25 minutes played. In his last five games, the 6-foot-4 freshman is averaging 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Hamane, who has settled in nicely as Oxy's starting point guard after a slow start to the season, was in double figures for the third game in a row, scoring of his points in the second half. The sophomore transfer from Puget Sound hit a pair of threes and had an and-one that cut CMS' lead to 44-33 with 14:01 left in the second half.
The Stags were just too good.
Tyler Gaffaney, the frontrunner for SCIAC Player of the Year, scored a game-high 25 points on 11 for 15 shooting, along with grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.
CMS was 10 for 19 from the 3-point line as a team and shot 55 percent on the game. Remy Pinson and Jack Grodahl each hit three from beyond the arc.
"There's a reason why they are the best team in our league right now," Oxy head coach Brian Newhall said. "When they had to, their guys just made plays. Gaffaney is a special player."
For the second consecutive game, the Tigers played without starting guards Spencer Levy and Jay Miller, who each missed the game due to injury.
Ty Cobb scored five points and led the game with eight rebounds in his first start of the year.
Oxy returns to action against Pomona-Pitzer at Rush Gymnasium on Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
"The best part about conference play is your next opponent is always right around the corner," Newhall said. "We'll get a chance to rest a little tomorrow before preparing for a very good Pomona-Pitzer team next week."