The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens basketball team defeated the University of La Verne 72-59 on Feb.24 to win its second straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship. Pomona’s Chaz Turner led the scoring with 24 points and Pitzer’s David Knowles added 13 points and seven rebounds to lead the Sagehens to victory on their home court at the Pomona College Rains Center Going into the game, the Sagehens were guaranteed a tie for first with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), which provided its own challenges for the team.
“It’s easy to go into a game like this with the mind set of playing not to loose,” said head Coach Charles Katsiaficas. “You have to play to win. They did a great job last night. I thought they played aggressively and stayed strong.”
Knowles ‘06, a key player in last night’s victory, had some concerns coming into the game.
“We really wanted this win because otherwise we would have to share the title with CMS,” Knowles said. “But we tried to keep it strong and everyone’s shots were sinking, so that helped a lot.”
The championship is the seventh in the last ten years for the Sagehens. It is their ninth SCIAC championship since Katsiaficas became head coach in 1986 and their ninth trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The location of their first game of the tournament will be determined Friday, March 4. The game, being held Saturday, March 5, will either be at Trinity in Texas or at home in the Rains Center.
Catherine Okereke '00
Office of Public Relations |
