Box Score CHICAGO, IL. – Senior Matthew Eberle nets a game-winning buzzer beater to lift the Sagehens over Chicago 64-63 in the Midway Classic on Sunday afternoon at the Ratner Center.
With the win, the Sagehens improve to 3-1 overall.
The Sagehens were led by the duo of Eberle and Brendan Mora who each shared a team-high 18 points in the win. Mora had 18 points and 17 rebounds while Eberle had 18 including the game-winning three at the buzzer.
The Sagehens hit on just 37.3% of their shots from the field and 28.6% from three but outrebounded the Maroons 49-37 and scored 28 points in the paint. Pomona-Pitzer took care of the ball with just nine turnovers while they forced 10 on defense and scored 10 points off of those 10 turnovers.
The Sagehens got out to a nice lead to start the first half to go up 12-6 after an Eberle jumper with 14:04 left in the first half. The Sagehens went on to take their largest lead of the game around the midway point of the first half after Johnny King netted a layup to take a 17-8 lead with under 10 minutes until halftime.
Chicago immediately responded with a 10-4 run to bring the deficit down to just three points at 21-18, but the Sagehens held off the Maroons for the remainder of the first half and still held at 29-26 lead heading into the locker room.
The two teams kept it close in the second half with the lead never exceeding more than four points through the first nine minutes of the half. The Sagehens got a little more breathing room around the midway point of the second with a seven-point lead at 47-40 with 9:07 left to play, but Chicago turned it up late and eventually took over the lead from the Sagehens and led 62-58 with 1:48 left to go.
Mora cashed in on a late three-point play to cut the deficit down to just one point at 62-61 with 28 seconds left. With the Sagehens forced to foul, the Maroons only hit one of two from the line to take a 63-61 lead with nine seconds to play.
Out of a timeout, Coach Katsiaficas called up a three-point play for Eberle who nails the triple as time expires and the Sagehens walk off the Maroons on their home court to win the Midway Classic.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host the David Wells Classic as they take on Linfield on Friday, November 26th at 6:00 p.m.
