WHITTIER, Calif. — The Pomona-Pitzer men's basketball team fell 79-68 at Whittier College Wednesday night in the first round of the SCIAC Tournament, despite a game-high 30 points from Joe Cookson. 
 
Cookson reached 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, to go with seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. Ty Bergman contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds while Sam Lind had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. 
 
The Sagehens hung even with the Poets for much of the first half, taking a 19-18 lead following a Bergman layup and a three-point play from Cookson. Another Cookson lay-in brought the score to 22-21 for Whittier with 2:45 left in the half. But the Poets closed the period on a 9-0 run, taking a 31-21 lead into the locker room. 
 
Pomona-Pitzer came storming back early in the second half, with a pair of Lind triples and a Cookson lay-in off a Peyton Mullarkey assist bringing the Sagehens within two, 33-31. Cookson later hit a trey to make it 40-36 for the Poets. Whittier, though, pushed its lead to 11, 49-38, with 12:40 to go. 
 
Cookson answered with a personal 6-0 run to bring the Sagehens within five. Lind and Bergman each scored in the paint and Cookson hit a three to then cut Pomona-Pitzer's deficit to one, 54-53, with 7:51 to go. The Sagehens hung in the game the rest of the way but couldn't quite retake the lead, coming within two points, 63-61, with 3:28 left on a Boyle triple. Bergman scored a layup off a Lind assist, Lind scored a lay-in of his own and Boyle hit another three to keep the Sagehens within striking distance, 70-68, with 1:18 to go. 
 
But that was as close as Pomona-Pitzer would get the rest of the way. The Poets knocked down a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession, then the Sagehens missed three three-point attempts on their following offensive possession. Whittier closed the game on a 9-0 run to seal its 79-68 win.