LOS ANGELES — On a senior night to remember, Occidental men's basketball forward Ty Cobb led the Tigers to an 88-83 triple overtime victory over Whittier at Rush Gym on Saturday. Cobb finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds, cleaning up the weakside boards and defensive glass.

"The opportunity to have a such a good game on senior night and beat a team that I haven't beaten in four years is an unbelievable feeling," he said. "If things break our way we can make the playoffs. We still have something to shoot for."

Fellow senior and the team's leading scorer Kris Montoya finished with just 9 points and 5 rebounds, but hit important free throws to help seal the victory.

Occidental (11-12 overall, 6-8 SCIAC) and Whittier (10-12 overall, 4-9 SCIAC), both fighting for their playoff lives, put on a fast-paced, high-scoring affair.

The Tigers kept pace with the Poets in the first half, trailing just 33-30 at the break.

Both teams offensive production picked up in the second, as the two squads traded baskets during an offensive surge, matching each other drive-for-drive and 3-for-3.  Whittier shot 50 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line in the second, while Occidental was not far behind, shooting 46 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

With 1:09 remaining in the second half Whittier's Eric Jennings found Nick Demusis for a dunk that put Whittier up by two and appeared to have given them the momentum to close out the game. Whittier's defense answered with a stop on the ensuing Tigers' possession, but an offensive rebounded gave the Tigers another opportunity.

Only 30.3 seconds remained on the clock, allowing the Tigers to hold for the final shot. After swinging the ball around the perimeter, guard Jay Miller penetrated the lane and with 3 seconds left, dropped in a floater to tie the score at 68 apiece, bringing the home crowd of 711 to its feet.

Miller finished with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Miller's drive set up an overtime period that continued to showcase a similar game flow as the two teams went back and forth throughout the five minutes.

With 27.9 seconds remaining in the first OT and the game tied at 75, Whittier's Jacob Porter drew a foul and missed both free throws, setting up the Tigers with a chance to hold for the last shot again. But Juwan Rice's driving layup attempt rolled out, sending the game into its second overtime.

Rice played a complete game, scoring 17 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Trailing 81-79 lead with under 10 seconds remaining the second overtime, Whittier's Chris Barnes-William drove to the basket and drew a foul. His two free throws tied the game at 81 and sent the game into a third overtime period.

In the third overtime, Chad Tanioka's hit one of his four 3-pointers, breaking an 83-83 tie with 2:01 left. Then the Tigers sealed the victory with multiple defensive stands and two Cobb free throws.

The Tigers take on Pomona-Pitzer next Saturday at 5 p.m. in Claremont.