CLAREMONT, Calif. — Joe Cookson scored a career-high 38 points to lead Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball to an 85-80 win over Occidental College Wednesday night at Voelkel Gymnasium. 
 
Season Impact: The win improves the Sagehens' record to 10-6 on the season, including 4-3 in SCIAC play. 
 
Cookson reached 38 points on 13-of-18 shooting, going 4-of-5 from distance and a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. He also added a team-high seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Sam Lind contributed a season-high 13 points while Peyton Mullarkey pitched in 10 points and three assists. 
 
As a team, Pomona-Pitzer shot a season-best 57.1% from three-point range, knocking down 12 of 21 attempts. The Sagehens scored 24 points off turnovers to the Tigers' 18 and had 13 bench points to Occidental's eight. 
 
The score remained tight throughout much of the night, as Owen Avdalovic and Pete Boyle traded triples to give Pomona-Pitzer a 22-18 lead. Lind knocked down a three-pointer of his own before Cookson completed a three-point play to put the Sagehens up 32-28. Boyle found Mullarkey for a lay-in before the half, as the game remained tied 36-36 at the break. 
 
Cookson started to heat up early in the second half, scoring the team's 12 first points of the period as the Sagehens trailed 49-48 with 14:15 left. Cookson converted another three-point play, Matthew Diekmann knocked down a pair of free throws and Mullarkey hit a trey of his own to give Pomona-Pitzer a one-point advantage, 62-61, with 8:33 remaining. 
 
Cookson, Lind and Bergman traded three-pointers on consecutive possessions to extend the Sagehens' lead, 74-65. Lind and Cookson knocked down another pair of three-pointers before Cookson got a driving layup to fall, closing out the 85-80 Pomona-Pitzer win. 
 
Up Next: The Sagehens remain home to host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7:00 p.m. PT.