PASADENA, Calif. – Pomona-Pitzer overcame a six-point halftime deficit to post a 55-48 men's basketball win in a SCIAC match-up at the Braun Athletic Center.
Three quick lead changes started the first half before Caltech started to pull away. With Pomona-Pitzer leading 8-7 with 13:43 left in the frame, the Beavers went on a 14-5 scoring run to take a 26-14 edge with 2:12 left until intermission. Caltech held the Sagehens to just four field goals in building their lead.
The visitors responded with a mini-spurt to close the gap before halftime. Pomona-Pitzer scored the final six points of the half as Caltech (5-14, 0-8 SCIAC) went into the locker room with a 26-20 advantage.
Pomona-Pitzer (11-7, 6-2 SCIAC) came into the game as the SCIAC's best three-point shooting team but Caltech's top three-point shooting defense held them to an 0-7 effort from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
The Sagehens scored the first nine points of the second half with four field goals and a three-for-three effort from the charity stripe. After a Beaver timeout with 17:11 left, the home squad scored eight of the game's next nine points to retake the lead at 34-33 with 12:18 left in the game. Pomona-Pitzer grabbed the contest's momentum and took the lead for good with a 16-5 scoring run over the next five-plus minutes.
A determined Caltech squad got their deficit down to five points twice down the stretch but couldn't cut the Pomona-Pitzer advantage down to a single a possession.
After shooting just 25.9 percent in the opening frame, Pomona-Pitzer nailed half of their 18 field goal attempts in the final stanza – including three from behind the arc – to aid in their comeback. The Sagehens posted a season low six turnovers while forcing Caltech into 15 miscues in giving them a 16-0 advantage in points off turnovers.
Caltech's scoring efforts were led by Michael Edwards. The junior scored 15 points in 37 minutes of action. Andrew Hogue contributed a 13-point night on the strength of a four-of-six effort from behind the arc. Collin Murphy grabbed a team best and personal season high 11 rebounds.