CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball team fell to Biola University in their home opener 76-70. The team shot 33.8% from the field (22-65) and 31.4% from downtown (11-35). The Sagehens picked up 23 points off the bench and earned 27 rebounds on the night. Pomona-Pitzer had three players score in the double-digits with Matt Eberle leading the way with 18 while Brendan Mora and Peyton Mullarkey earned 16 and 13, respectively. The Sagehens will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 20 when they travel to University of Chicago for the Midway Classic with a game against Denison at 3:00 p.m.

How It Happened

The opening minute of the first half featured back-and-forth play that had the Eagles up 11-8 just over five minutes in. Biola continued to hold a slight with at 14-11 before a Kerick Walker three-pointer tied the game at 14-14 with 13:12 left in the first half. A mid-range jumper from Peyton Mullarkey gave the Sagehens a 16-14 lead but a 7-3 run had Biola back on top at 21-19. Pomona-Pitzer regained the lead once more at 24-23 but the Eagles went on a 9-0 run to take the lead at 32-24. The Sagehens pulled within one at 34-33 after three-pointers from Mullarkey and Walker along with a free throw from Matt Eberle. Biola ended the half on the better side of a 4-2 run to enter the halftime break with a 38-35 lead.

The Sagehens scored the first six points of the second half with layups from Brendan Mora, Stephen Blomstrom, and John King, giving them a 41-38 lead with 18:17 remaining in the half. Biola answered right back, hitting a three-pointer and a layup. Pete Boyle responded with a three-pointer of his own before Mora and Eberle chimed in for threes as well to give the Sagehens a 50-43 advantage, their largest lead of the night. 

With 13:46 left on the clock, Biola began to chip away at the Sagehens lead as they went on a 14-2 run over the course of six minutes and 13 seconds, taking a 57-52 lead. The Eagles run came to an end after fouling Pete Boyle on a three-point attempt. Boyle hit all three free throws to pull Pomona-Pitzer within two with 7:34 left to play. Biola extended their lead to 61-55 but Mullarkey hit a three-pointer to pull the team within three. The Eagles responded with a jumper good for two but two Eberle free throws had the Sagehens back within three at 63-60. From there, Biola outscored the Sagehens 13-10 to claim the 76-70 victory. 

What's Up Next 

As mentioned, the Sagehens will be back in action in the Midway Classic this weekend with a game against Denison on Saturday at 3:00 PM.