Big Fourth Quarter Lifts CMS Women's Basketball to Season Sweep of Pomona-Pitzer

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Ariana Dalia had 15 points, and Katie Resendiz had 11 off the bench for her first career game in double figures as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's basketball team used a 26-point fourth quarter to take a 68-59 win over Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday afternoon at Roberts Pavilion.

With the win, CMS moves to 11-5 overall and 7-2 in the SCIAC, while completing a season sweep of the Sagehens after also defeating them 70-64 on Nov. 30. Pomona-Pitzer falls to 5-10 overall and 3-6 in league play with the defeat. 

The Athenas trailed by 12 in the second quarter before Resendiz had six points in the final minute on an old-fashioned three-point play and a three-pointer to make it a 30-27 Sagehen lead at the break. Sadie Heckman started the second half with a three-pointer to cap a 12-0 run and tie the score, and Pomona-Pitzer still held a 43-42 lead heading into the fourth. 

Mary Markaryan started the fourth with a three-point play, and Jacey Carter hit a three-pointer to put CMS ahead 48-44. The Sagehens tied the score 57-57 on a Madison Quan jumper in the paint with 2:48 left, before Renee Chong had two foul shots to put the Athenas ahead to stay with 2:20 left. 

Dalia then had a big sequence with a blocked shot on one end, followed by a layup off a feed from Ava Grey to put the Athenas ahead by four with 1:14 left. Resendiz then dove on the floor for a steal, and fed Dalia for another layup with 36 seconds left to stretch the lead to 63-57. Chong went 4-4 from the foul line to finish with 13 points to help seal the win. 

Dalia and Resendiz each had eight rebounds to help CMS to a 47-33 edge in that department, with Resendiz earning six of hers on the offensive end. Dalia had three blocked shots to lead a defense that held Pomona-Pitzer to just 34.4 percent shooting on the day. 

CMS will be back in action on Wednesday when it continues its four-game homestand with a 7 p.m. game against Cal Lutheran.