Claremont, Calif. — Pomona-Pitzer women's basketball defeated Occidental 87-67 on the road.
Season Impact: The win puts the Sagehens at 12-7 on the season, including 7-3 in SCIAC play.
Sara Chicco led the Sagehens with 19 points, knocking down three triples and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, while Emily Lee added 14 points with three makes from beyond the arc. Kayla Malek dished out a team-high six assists to go along with 11 points, and Sofia Robel dominated the glass with a game-high nine rebounds and 10 points off the bench.
The Sagehens answered an early Whittier basket with a fastbreak three from Chicco at the 7:47 mark off a Jadyn Lee assist, sparking an early offensive rhythm. Chicco stayed hot with another jumper and triple midway through the quarter, while Abigail Homan converted inside off a Kayla Malek dime to keep the Sagehens in front. Whittier briefly reclaimed the lead but the Sagehens' bench provided a lift as Robel scored in the paint off a Homan assist and Molly Pieper added a putback tip-in at 2:13 to extend the advantage. Jadyn Lee capped the quarter with a three-pointer at the 1:31 mark, giving the Sagehens a 17-13 lead heading into the second. Whittier opened the quarter with interior scoring to briefly take the lead, but Chicco responded with a pair of free throws and a go-ahead three off a J. Lee assist to keep Pomona-Pitzer within striking distance. After Whittier stretched the margin to seven midway through the period, Homan converted twice at the line and Chicco followed with three straight free throws to trim the deficit to two. Malek shifted momentum with a steal at and later knocked down a three, before Shea Joko buried a triple at the 0:29 mark off a Malek assist to give the Sagehens a 33-32 lead heading into halftime.
The Sagehens opened the half strong, as Homan converted inside to spark an early push. After Whittier trimmed the lead to one, Malek scored in the paint and Chicco followed with three free throws to stretch the margin, before back-to-back threes from E. Lee and J. Lee extended the lead to double digits. Malek knocked down another three to make it 49-38, and the Sagehens continued to build separation with strong interior finishes from Anna Revill. Robel provided a late spark with layups and E. Lee capped the quarter with a three, sending the Sagehens into the fourth with a 63-52 advantage. J. Lee opened the scoring just seven seconds in with a jumper in the paint to extend the lead to 65-52, and despite a brief Whittier push, Robel answered with a layup. Homan followed with a finish inside and Robel added another bucket to keep the Sagehens ahead by double digits. Late finishes from Malek and Homan pushed the advantage to 79-65, as the Sagehens closed out a 79-67 victory.
Up Next: The Sagehens will celebrate seniors Emily Lee, Katie Drais, and Anna Revill on Saturday, Feb. 14, when they host Sixth Street rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT.
