Box Score CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Sagehens locked up the No. 1 seed for the SCIAC Tournament with an 80-65 victory over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent Occidental on Saturday night at Voelkel Gymnasium.
With the win, Pomona-Pitzer improved to 20-5 overall and became the regular season champion for the second-straight season.
The Sagehens were led by senior James Kelbert with 19 points and nine rebounds while senior Micah Elan (18 points), junior Alex Preston (17 points), and senior Jack Boyle (10 points) all ended the night with double-digit points.
The Sagehens ended the night over 50% from the floor at 56.6% and shot 11-19 from three at 57.9%. Not only did the Sagehens outshoot the Tigers from the field and three-point territory, but outscored them in the paint 36-26 and outrebounded Occidental 34-21.
The Sagehens started the game with a 6-0 run and worked their way to a 10-2 lead just under five minutes into the game. Occidental cut the lead to 10-6 but Pomona-Pitzer surged to a 22-8 lead by the halfway mark in the quarter. The Sagehens kept their foot on the gas pedal as the half progressed, working their way to a 38-22 lead at the halftime break.
Coming out of the break, the Tigers went on a quick 4-0 run but Kelbert brought it to an end to spark the Sagehen offense, giving Pomona-Pitzer the 40-26 lead. The Sagehens continued to control the pace of the game, working their way to 57-40 lead with 13:30 on the clock but the Tigers weren't out of it yet. After a three from the Tigers' Kyle Dosa, Occidental charged back into the game. The Tigers navigated their way to within 10 points with 11 minutes left in the fourth with the score set at 59-49. A jumper from the Tigers with 9:49 on the clock cut the deficit to eight at 59-51, but that was as close as they would get as the Sagehens held off their pressure to take the game 80-65.
The Sagehens will now await their opponent in the SCIAC Semifinals as they will host the No. 4 seed on Friday, February 28th at 7:00 p.m.
