CLAREMONT, Ca. – The Pomona-Pitzer women's basketball team defeated the University of La Verne 70-68 to open up SCIAC play. Madison Quan led the team with 22 points while picking up four steals and dishing out five assists. Amara Chidom was just short of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. On the night, the Sagehens shot 42.9% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc with Quan recording four of the team's eight three-pointers. The Sagehens are now 3-4 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. Pomona-Pitzer will be back in action on Saturday at 7:00 PM with a Sixth Street Rivalry against the Athenas.

How It Happened

La Verne scored the first bucket of the night, but Amara Chidom and Madison Quan answered right back to give the Sagehens a 4-2 lead with 6:52 left in the first quarter. The two teams battled through back-and-forth action with La Verne seeing the better side of an 11-8 run to take a 13-12 lead but Quan drilled her first three of the night to regain the Sagehens lead at 15-13. After two free throws from La Verne, Quan fired off back-to-back threes just 17 seconds apart, highlighting the end of the first quarter as the Sagehens went into the second with a 21-19 lead. 

La Verne started the second quarter on a 5-0 run that was ended with a Kaitlyn Leung three-pointer to tie the game at 24-24. The Leopards kept the pressure on as they went on an 7-2 run to extend their lead to 31-26. Maison Yee and Alysha Maile Yamada recorded the Sagehens next six points to regain the lead at 32-31 with 5:15 left in the half. Just 40 seconds later, Kaitlyn Leung hit her second three of the night to give the Sagehens a 37-35 lead, but it was La Verne who ended the half on a high note as they went on a 9-2 run, ending the half with a buzzer beater three and the 44-39 lead. 

Out of the break, the Leopards hit a jumper 30 seconds in to take their largest lead of the night at 46-39 but Pomona-Pitzer rallied with an 8-2 run to pull within one at 48-47. La Verne pushed their lead to five at 54-49 but Leung and Chidom pulled the Sagehens within one at 54-53 with 2:10 left in the third quarter but the Leopards pushed it to 58-55 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Sagehens quickly brought the game to a tie at 58-58 thanks to a timely shot from downtown from Maison Yee 28 seconds into the fourth quarter. Pomona-Pitzer took the lead shortly after with a hustle play from Kayla Hankins as she grabbed a rebound and quickly put it back up for two points and the 60-58 lead with 8:40 on the clock. The two teams traded 5-0 runs with Madison Quan hitting a three to tie the game before Charlize Andaya knocked down two free throws to put the Sagehens ahead 65-63. Hankins and Andaya both recorded layups to put the Sagehens up 7-65 with 1:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. With 41 seconds on the clock, La Verne hit a three to pull within two at 70-68 but they missed their final opportunity at the buzzer as the Sagehens earned the 70-68 victory on the road. 

What's Up Next

The first Sixth Street Rivalry of this season is next on the schedule for the Sagehens as they take on the Athenas on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 PM.