Malibu, Calif. - The Pomona-Pitzer Men's Basketball team led by as many as six points in the first half and by two with 7:30 to play before falling 59-50 to Division I Pepperdine on Saturday in its final tune-up for the regular season.

Senior forward Greg Wright (Oakland, Calif. - pictured) had 12 points on 6-8 shooting for the Sagehens, who start the season 0-1, while Po Grant (Brookline, Mass.) added 11 points. Caleb Willis led all scorers with 18 points for Pepperdine, which starts the year out 1-0 (the game counted as a regular season game for Pepperdine, but was an exhibition for the Sagehens, since it was prior to the NCAA mandated Nov. 15 start date for Division III teams).

The Sagehens led 25-19 with 3:36 left in the first half on a Wright jumper, but the Waves closed out the half with a 7-0 run, capped off by a Willis three-pointer at the buzzer, to take a 26-25 lead into the break.

Willis then started the second half with another three-pointer on the first possession, and the Waves added another free throw to stretch the run to 11-0 over both halves and seemingly take control of the game.

The Sagehens were undaunted, though, and sophomore swingman Jake Klewer (Tucson, Ariz.) answered with a three-pointer with 15:12 left in the second half to end an 8:24 scoring drought over both halves and get Pomona-Pitzer back within a single possession. Grant then followed with another three-pointer to give the Sagehens the lead at 31-30.

A three-pointer from sophomore forward John Weiss (Cleveland, Ohio) with 8:40 to play gave Pomona-Pitzer a 36-34 lead, but Pepperdine responded with a 9-0 run which proved to be decisive.   Taylor Darby had back-to-back lay-ups for the Waves to give his team the lead for good with 6:32 left on the clock.

A Ramon Eaton lay-up capped off the run to make it 43-36 with  5:19 left, before freshman guard Kyle McAndrews (Seattle, Wash.) scored to end the drought and get Pomona-Pitzer back within five points. However, it could come no closer down the stretch as Pepperdine was able to clamp down defensively and prevent the Sagehens from getting back to within striking distance.

Senior point guard Evan Zahniser (Mercer Island, Wash.) had a solid day at the point for the Sagehens, tallying six points, five assists and only one turnover, as Pomona-Pitzer had 16 assists and 12 turnovers as a team against Division I competition. The Waves' superior size made a difference, as they had a 42-29 rebounding advantage, and was 17-21 at the foul line, compared to 0-1 for Pomona-Pitzer.

The Sagehens will be back in action for their home opener on Saturday when they take on St. Thomas (Minn.) at 5 p.m.