THOUSAND OAKS, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball team fell short to Cal Lutheran University 76-66 on Wednesday night in Thousand Oaks.

Season Impact: With the loss, the Sagehens are 4-3 overall and 0-1 in SCIAC play.

The Sagehens had three players that scored in double figures. Matthew Diekmann led the way for the Sagehens with 18, Joe Cookson had 16 points with a team high of six rebounds, and Peyton Mullarkey scored 13 points. 

Ty Bergman opened the game with a layup giving the Sagehens an early lead. Midway through the half, the Kingsmen extended their lead with back-to-back threes making the score to 21-14. The Sagehens stayed in it with a jumper from Cookson and six straight points from Diekmann, including a dunk to cut the deficit to 31-27. The first half ended with a score of 36-27, the Sagehens trailing by nine.

The second half was a close battle, but Cal Lutheran pulled away to secure a 76-66 win over the Sagehens. Mullarkey's back-to-back threes helped the Sagehens close the gap early along with another knockdown jumper by Diekmann and clutch free throws from Samir O'Brien and Cookson, the Sagehens had their first lead in the second half with 14 minutes to go. However, the Kingsmen regained control and sealed the victory.

Up Next: The Sagehens will host their SCIAC conference home opener against Redlands on Wednesday, December 16th at 4:00 p.m.