Claremont, Calif. - The Pomona-Pitzer Men's Basketball team will host American Sports University on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. in a "Getaway Day" game on the last day of the fall semester.
After facing ASU, the Sagehens will have two weeks off before they return to action on Dec. 30 with a road game at Division I Cal State Bakersfield.
Pomona-Pitzer will look to head into the break on a high note after seeing its four-game winning streak snapped with back-to-back losses to Redlands and Biola. The Sagehens have still had a solid first month, with a double-overtime loss to the defending Division III national champions (St. Thomas) and a narrow 69-65 loss to Biola, which is ranked 15th nationally in NAIA.
The Sagehens have also relied heavily on its youth, with freshmen and sophomores doing a bulk of the team's scoring. Freshman guard Michael Cohen (Tarzana, Calif.) was leading the team in scoring at 18.3 points through the first three games, before an injury has sidelined him for the last four (he is expected to return against ASU). Cohen was named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week after scoring 23 points in a 79-76 win over St. Olaf, including 5-6 shooting from three-point territory (4-4 in the second half).
Fellow freshman Kyle McAndrews (Seattle, Wash. - pictured) moved into the starting line-up in Cohen's absence and has led the Sagehens in scoring in each of the last two contests, including 18 in the loss at Biola. Freshman forward Jack Klukas (Eden Prairie, Minn.) also had a breakout game in the Biola loss with 14 points on 4-4 shooting from three-point territory.
Sophomore forwards Jake Klewer (Tucson, Ariz.) and John Weiss (Cleveland, Ohio) have also had a key role in the early-season success of the Sagehens, averaging 11.6 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Klewer was named the SCIAC Male Athlete of the Week after the season-opener against St. Thomas, when he had 24 points.
As a result of the multitude of weapons, the Sagehens have been remarkably efficient on offense, shooting 51.2 percent as a team, including 43.8 percent from three-point territory. Those figures represent a huge improvement from a year ago, when Pomona-Pitzer shot 36.8 percent overall and 26.8 percent from three.
Live stats and video for the game can be accessed at www.sagehens.com.
