CLAREMONT, Calif. — Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball defeated Whitman 57-52 at home Saturday afternoon behind a game-high 16 points from Charlie Hutchison.
 
Season Impact: The win puts the Sagehens at 2-1 on the season.
 
Hutchison reached 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc, to go with 11 rebounds and a pair of assists. Kyle Jasper followed with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Matthew Diekmann added 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists. 
 
Whitman took a 17-12 lead midway through the first half before Cooper Bladow found the hoop and Jasper knocked down a three. Jasper hit another three with 3:38 in the period to put the Sagehens up 22-19. Charlie Treene knocked down a triple of his own, but the Blues scored the half's final five points as Pomona-Pitzer led 27-26 at the break. 
 
Teams traded baskets to start the second half, as a Hutchison three and a Diekmann layup put the Sagehens up 37-33. Whitman took the lead midway through the period, 40-39, before a Hutchison lay-in tied things up at 43 with 8:38 to go. 
 
Diekmann later found Darius Turner for a dunk and scored another lay-in of his own, bringing the score to 49-49 with 4:37 left. Hutchison and Jasper each hit a three, giving the Sagehens a 55-52 advantage with 1:54 left. 
 
Pomona-Pitzer's defense held strong down the stretch, holding the Blues scoreless over the final 2:57. Hutchison knocked down a pair of free throws in the waning seconds as the Sagehens came away with the 57-52 victory. 
 
Up Next: The Sagehens will take on Puget Sound next Friday, Nov. 28, at 3:00 p.m. PT at CMS as part of the David Wells Classic.