Redlands, Calif. - The Pomona-Pitzer Basketball team broke the game open in the first half and pulled away for a 93-54 win over American Sports University on Thursday afternoon on the first day of the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tournament at the University of Redlands.

With the win, the Sagehens improve to 3-1 on the year and advance to tomorrow's semifinal game at 5:30 p.m. against Chapman, which defeated La Verne 74-60 today. Sophomore forward John Weiss (Cleveland, Ohio - pictured) led a balanced offense with a double-double, tallying 14 points on 7-10 shooting and 10 rebounds, to go along with four assists, while sophomore forward Jake Klewer (Tucson, Ariz.) also had 14 points.

Pomona-Pitzer jumped out quickly to a 16-6 lead on a three-pointer from graduate student R.J. Maki (Claremont, Calif.), but ASU was able to claw back into it with an 8-0 run, pulling within 16-14 on a three-pointer from Shawn Henner.

After the teams traded baskets, Pomona-Pitzer used a dominant 22-4 run to take control of the game and take a 38-20 lead with 4:07 in the first half on a lay-up from senior swingman Danny Brown (Eugene, Ore.). The Sagehens built their lead up to as many as 21 in the first half, before settling for a 44-26 lead at the break.

The second half saw the Sagehens methodically pull away even more, outscoring the Eagles 49-28 after intermission, including a 24-4 run to end the game after the score was 69-50 with 8:46 left to play. Pomona-Pitzer shot 64.7 percent in the second half alone, and 56.3 percent overall for the game.  

Senior guard Evan Zahniser (Mercer Island, Wash.) was also in double figures with 10 points for the Sagehens, while freshman guard Kyle McAndrews (Seattle, Wash.) made his first start and had nine points and five rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time. Weiss (28 minutes) was the only Sagehen to play for more than 20 minutes, as Pomona-Pitzer was able to rest most of its line-up to stay fresh for the three games in three days at the Fulmer Tournament.

Freshman guard Joe Eyen (Granite Bay, Calif.) added his first collegiate points in the closing minutes on a three-point play, sophomore guard Armand Gray (San Francisco, Calif.) scored his first four collegiate points, and freshman guard Adrian Brandon (Seattle, Wash.) saw his first collegiate action after missing the preseason and first three games with an injury.