Box Score CLAREMONT, CA. – The Sagehens got their first win of the new year with a 78-66 win over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent Occidental on Wednesday night at the Line Activities Center (LAC).
Season Impact: with the win, the Sagehens improve to 7-3 overall and 2-1 in SCIAC play.
The Sagehens were led by Matthew Eberle who scored 23 and pulled down seven rebounds. Brendan Mora nearly had himself a triple-double as he notched 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while Pete Boyle also ended the day in double-digits with 13 points and seven rebounds in the win.
The Sagehens shot 48.1% from the floor with a 32.1% clip from three while also hitting 90.5% of their shots from the stripe. The Tigers hit on 42.6% of their shots from the field while shotting 29.4% from three and 37.5% from the free-throw line. The Sagehens outrebounded the Tigers 46-25 and cashed in on 17 second-chance points. The Tigers outscored the Sagehens in the paint 34-26 and only turned the ball over eight times while the Sagehens turned the ball over 18 times.
The Sagehens and Tigers stayed close in the early stages of the first half with Occidental holding a slight edge throughout the first few minutes. The Sagehens battled back and took a 20-17 lead after a three from Hayden Moser with 11:18 left to go in the first half. Pomona-Pitzer stayed ahead of the Tigers for the next 10 minutes, but Occidental came back late and took a 34-33 lead with just 27 seconds remaining until halftime and went into the locker room with a one-point lead.
After heading into halftime down a point, the Sagehens wasted no time asserting their dominance in the second half as they outscored Occidental 26-8 in the first nine minutes and took their largest lead of the night at 59-42 after a Mora three-point basket. The Sagehens maintained their lead over the Tigers throughout the second half and didn't let Occidental get within 10 points. The Tigers tried to foul late in the game to attempt a late comeback, but the Sagehens slammed the door shut at the free-throw line and came away with the double-digit win over Occidental.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host Caltech on Saturday, January 15th at 2:00 p.m.
