Los Angeles, Calif. – The SCIAC-leading Occidental Women's Basketball team used a balanced offense with nobody in double figures to capture a 61-48 win over Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Sagehens fall to 3-16 overall and 1-7 in the SCIAC. Occidental improves to 15-3 overall and 7-1 in the SCIAC with the win, as Liz Little and Stephanie Scamman led the Tigers with nine points apiece.  

Pomona-Pitzer got off to a good start and led 10-7 on a basket from sophomore guard Emi Hashizume (San Mateo, Calif.). A three-pointer from freshman forward Maria Weyhrauch (Juneau, Alaska) put the Sagehens ahead 13-11 with 13:17 left in the half, but Occidental then closed out the first stanza with a 25-5 run to take a 36-18 lead into the break. A 10-0 run made it 21-13, and after senior forward Asha Gipson (San Diego, Calif.) had consecutive baskets to close to within 21-17, the Tigers scored nine straight points.

Occidental build the lead to as many as 25 points at 46-21 on a three-pointer from Annika Awbrey, but the Sagehens battled as Hashizume hit a three-pointer and Gipson made a lay-up to get it back down to 46-26.

A jumper from Alexis Sones (Los Angeles, Calif.) with 9:40 left cut the lead to 16 (48-32), and a free throw from freshman guard Ruthie Shapiro (Moraga, Calif.) got it as close as 13 points at 55-42 with 4:01 to go, but Crystal Goodwin responded with a three-pointer for Occidental with 3:20 left to stop any comeback hopes.

Sones was the only player on either team to reach double figures in scoring, as she finished with 12 points on the day. Shapiro had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Pomona-Pitzer will be back in action on Thursday when it hosts Cal Lutheran for a 7:30 p.m. contest.