Taking a big first-half lead and fighting off a comeback attempt for the third straight game, the North Central College men's basketball team opened its West coast swing with a well-earned victory Thursday, rallying to force overtime before prevailing, 79-77, in the extra session at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

The Cardinals (5-0) shot a season-best 62.5 percent (30-48) in the game, including a 10 for 17 effort (58.8 percent) from three-point range. Leading the effort were Charles Rosenbergand Jayme Moten, each of whom scored 22 points. Rosenberg knocked down 10 of 11 field-goal attempts, matching the fifth-best single-game accuracy in school history, while Moten sank 8 of 11 shots including 6 of 8 three-pointers.

Moten ripped the nets for 11 points in the first five minutes of play, helping North Central build an early 14-5 lead. The Cardinals extended their lead to its largest at 33-16 late in the first half and wound up taking a 40-29 edge into halftime after shooting 70 percent (14-20) from the floor. Moten tallied 16 points by the break while Rosenberg had 12.

The Sagehens (2-3) closed the distance quickly after the second half started, making 5 of 7 shots including a trio of three-pointers. Pomona-Pitzer took the lead for the first time after Michael Cohen's three-pointer provided a 58-56 advantage, and the Cardinals fought back to tie the game twice, the second coming at 65-65 when Evan Fendleydelivered a three-pointer with 3:06 left in regulation.

Joe Eyen's fourth three-pointer got the Sagehens back in front, 68-65. Rosenberg sank a jumper to cut the hosts' lead to a single point, but Michael Cohen restored Pomona-Pitzer's lead to 70-67 with just 1:02 to play. Kevin Honn's three-pointer was off the mark on the next trip down the floor, but Moten swiped at the ball from behind to knock it out of Cohen's hands. Jack Burchett recovered the ball and returned it to Moten, who made a three-pointer from the left corner to tie the contest at 70-70 with 27 seconds to go.

Having committed only one foul in the second half, North Central began fouling to disrupt the Sagehen's rhythm on the final play of regulation and called four timeouts in the final six seconds to ensure the proper defensive positioning. Gibson Farone-Collins' buzzer-beating jumper missed the target, sending the Cardinals to overtime for the first time this season.

With the score tied at 75-75 in the extra frame, Rosenberg stole the ball and sailed to the basket for an uncontested dunk, but the Sagehens' Adrian Collins returned the favor to tie the score once again. WIth 1:27 to play, Burchett banked in a jump hook for what turned out to be the game-winning score. Pomona-Pitzer had the ball on the final possession of overtime as well, and Farone-Collins once again came up empty, though the home team had one final opportunity as it took possession out of bounds just before time ran out. The Cardinals' Brandon White knocked away the inbounds pass to seal the victory.

In addition to his shooting numbers, Rosenberg led the Cardinals with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, while David Fuller scored a season-high 10 points. Cohen scored 21 points for the Sagehens while Farone-Collins added 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

The Cardinals face off against the University of Redlands on Saturday, with tipoff at Currier Gymnasium set for 7 p.m.