Box Score CLAREMONT, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer Men's Basketball team bounced back with a 73-68 win over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent Cal Lutheran on Saturday night at Roberts Pavilion.
Season Impact: With the win, the Sagehens improve to 13-4 overall and 8-2 in SCIAC play.
The Sagehens were led by Matthew Eberle who went for 22 points and seven rebounds. Brendan Mora registered 12 points and nine rebounds while Ty Bergman came off the bench with 10 points and eight rebounds in the win.
The Sagehens and Kingsmen both shot under their average field goal percentage with Pomona-Pitzer hitting at a 39.2% clip and Cal Lutheran converting 38.2% of their shots. The Sagehens had a significant advantage in the three-point percentages as they connected on seven of their 14 attempts for 50% while Cal Lutheran converted just 14.3% of their shots from beyond the arc. The Sagehens outrebounded Cal Lutheran 46-28; however, the Kingsmen had the advantage in the point with 30 points to 20.
The Sagehens got out to a good start on offense as they jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead after a jumper by Eberle at the five-minute mark of the first half. Cal Lutheran responded with an immediate 13-4 run and took a 15-11 lead at the midway point of the first half. The Kingsmen stretched their lead to 23-13 with 7:45 left in the first half, but the Sagehens closed out the first half strong and took a 34-33 lead at the half after a last possession layup by Eberle.
Pomona-Pitzer maintained their small lead in the early stages of the second half and then extended it to 48-41 after a layup by Johnny King with 13:44 left to play. Cal Lutheran came back and reclaimed the lead temporarily after a made three to take a 51-50 lead, but the Sagehens quickly jumped back on top with a 9-2 run to take a 59-53 lead just under nine minutes to play.
The Kingsmen chipped away at the lead and got the game tied at 62-62 with 4:45 left to go. The Sagehens put together some good offensive possessions and solid free-throw shooting to close the game out late and sweep the season series over the Kingsmen.
Up Next: The Sagehens will next host Whittier on Wednesday, February 9th at 7:00 p.m.
