CLAREMONT— Basketball is a game of runs. Not so much who can make one, but who can respond to one.
The Tigers' starts to two eerily similar halves against Pomona-Pitzer were an example.
The Sagehens dictated the opening minutes of the first half, leading by 15 points. Then Oxy went on a commanding 10-0 run to cut it to five points.
But Pomona-Pitzer started the second half the same way they did the first, going on a 13-4 run to lead by 19 points. Yet that time, the Occidental men's basketball team couldn't respond, losing 84-59 to the Sagehens on the road Saturday night.
It is the first time in two years that the Sagehens have beaten the Tigers — Oxy won the last four meetings between the schools dating back to 2010.
Oxy's first-half run was a collective effort, making the game close. Ignited by a Kris Montoya (Portland, Ore.) three, David Yetenikyan (Glendale) put in a layup, and then Eric Leider (Las Vegas) hit a three and a jumper. Though Oxy still trailed by 10 at the break (40-30), the team matched the Sagehens' intensity.
Yet back-to-back threes by Michael Cohen at the start of the second half gave Pomona-Pitzer the momentum to stretch their lead.
"Pomona-Pitzer played a rock solid game," Occidental head coach Brian Newhall said. "They are a deep, talented and well-coached team. We did not bring the focus and energy needed to compete with a high quality team on the road."
The Tigers (6-9, 1-5 SCIAC) shot just 26.5 percent from the field in the second half.
Both Montoya and Conrad Liebowitz (Santa Monica) scored a solid 10 points and grabbed six and eight rebounds respectively.
Chad Tanioka (Culver City) was a bright spot for the Tigers. The freshman point guard scored five of his eight points and dished out two assists in eight minutes of play in the first half, as part of Oxy's run.
Leider finished with eight points and five rebounds.
The Sagehens (10-4 overall, 5-1 SCIAC), had no trouble on offense. Leading by as many as 25 points, they got hot in the second half, shooting 57.1 percent from long distance. Oftentimes they put their head down and got to the rim.
Kyle McAndrews had 17 points, John Weiss had 16 points and eight boards and Cohen had 14 points.
The Tigers return to Rush Gymnasium next Saturday against Whittier at 7 p.m.
"We will use the bye week to bounce back and get ready for Whittier at home," Newhall said.
Mirin Fader is the Oxy men's basketball beat writer. She also writes feature stories on Oxy athletes, coaches and alums. Mirin's work has appeared in Clippers.com, Dime magazine and WNBA.com (LA Sparks). All of her work, including her archived Oxy stories can be found at her website: mirinfader.com