LOS ANGELES — The Occidental men's basketball team struggled to close out on shooters against Pomona-Pitzer, a catch-and-shoot team, losing 76-62 at Rush Gymnasium in the final game of the 2012-13 season despite a strong comeback effort down the stretch.
Oxy managed to cut the lead to single digits on a three by Kris Montoya (Portland, Ore.) with 12:47 remaining, and a 1-3-1 defense shortly after that limited Pomona-Pitzer's perimeter opportunities by pushing them farther out towards halfcourt.
The run continued. Conrad Liebowitz (Santa Monica) threw down a powerful dunk in transition giving Oxy more momentum, and Montoya hit another three to bring Oxy within 11 (70-59) with 2:49 left, but that was as close as Oxy would come. Montoya led Oxy with 11 points, while Ryan Chong (San Diego) added 10 points.
The Sagehens shot lights out from three point range in the first half, making 58.3 percent of their shots (7-for-12), and didn't let up in the second half after taking a 10 point lead at the break (42-32).
Once Oxy had to check shooters, they found themselves out of position down low, leading to Pomona-Pitzer outrebounding Oxy (2-14 SCIAC, 7-18 overall) 45-32 and getting more shot attempts.
Both Xavyr Moss and Michael Cohen scored 18 points a piece for Pomona-Pitzer (9-6 SCIAC, 14-9 overall), as Cohen also added 11 boards. Kyle McAndrews chipped in with 13 points.
"Pomona-Pitzer's three-point shooting and offensive rebounding were outstanding," Occidental head coach Brian Newhall said. "But our guys stayed together as a team all No blaming, no whining, just hard working guys that stayed together."
Still, Oxy committed just 10 turnovers. Sam Stapleton (Los Angeles) and Liebowitz both contributed nine points, and freshmen Erik Eichinger (Radnor, PA) and Roy Vlcek (Manhatten) were sparks off the bench. Eichinger had five of Oxy's first 11 points, and Vlcek also added five in the second half.
Oxy's three senior starters, Stapleton, Liebowitz and Eric Leider (Las Vegas), who did not play due to injury, have a lot to be proud of in their time wearing the black and orange.
Stapleton, a captain, finished the year third in SCIAC in assists per game with 4.1, dishing seven assists or more six times this season. Liebowitz ranked fourth in the SCIAC in rebounds per game with 7.1. Leider was fifth in SCIAC in three point field goals made with 47 on the year, including a 27 point game against top-ranked Redlands earlier in the season.
"Sam, Eric and Conrad are three more seniors on track to graduate with a prestigious degree from a great school," Newhall said. "We have a long list of quality players and people who have come out of our program over the past 25 years, and I'm proud of these guys."
The team has room for growth, as seven of the team's current 13-member roster will be sophomores come next season. The Tigers' leadership and offensive firepower will come from wing Kris Montoya (Portland, Ore.), who will be a senior, and guard Ryan Chong (San Diego), who will be a junior. Montoya finished second in the SCIAC in points per game with 17.1, and Chong averaged 11.1 points a night.
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