Box Score THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer Men's Basketball team ended 2022 on a positive note with a 73-63 win over SCIAC foe Cal Lutheran on Saturday night at Gilbert Arena.
Season Impact: With the win, the Sagehens improve to 8-4 overall and 3-0 in SCIAC play.
The Sagehens were led by Joe Cookson who put up a game-high 18 points in the win. Hayden Moser has been a big spark for the Sagehens as of late with his second-straight career-high in points with 16 to go along with 9 rebounds.
Pomona-Pitzer shot at 40% from the field and 34% from three. The Sagehens also outrebounded the Kingsmen 39-33 and had 26 points in the paint to Cal Lutheran's 14. The bench also played a big role for Pomona-Pitzer as they added 14 points while the Cal Lutheran reserves only added 11 to their total.
It took the Sagehens a bit to get the offense going as they were shutout for the first four minutes of the first half that allowed Cal Lutheran to jump out to an 8-0 lead. The Sagehens worked to erase the deficit and got the lead down to just two points after a John King layup at 16-14, but the Kingsmen went on an 8-2 run to take a 10-point lead over the Sagehens at 24-14 with 9 minutes to go before halftime. Pomona-Pitzer chipped away at the lead late in the first half and went into halftime trailing by three points at 34-31.
The Sagehens came out of halftime and took a quick lead after a Ty Bergman and-one but Cal Lutheran reclaimed the lead shortly after and held the advantage for the majority of the second half. Pomona-Pitzer's defense helped the Sagehens get back into the game after they held Cal Lutheran scoreless for three minutes while a layup by Cookson gave the Sagehens their first lead since the early minutes of the second half at 57-56 with 3:31 to play. Pomona-Pitzer closed the game out with a big run capped off by a Moser three to take it 10 points at 67-57 with 1:44 to play. The Kingsmen were forced to foul as the Sagehens closed out 2022 with a big win on the road.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host Chapman on Wednesday, January 4th at 7:00 p.m.
