ATLANTA – Centre men's basketball ran into a proficient Pomona-Pitzer squad Friday evening, dropping an 84-64 contest at the Woodruff P.E. Center in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
The Sagehens shot 57% as a team – the highest mark allowed by the Colonels all season – and drained 11 of 18 from 3-point range.  
 
Centre wraps the campaign with a 24-5 overall record, which includes the Southern Athletic Association regular season and Tournament championships.
 
Pomona-Pitzer improves to 23-5 and awaits the winner of the Emory-Methodist contest.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Sagehens were hot right from the opening tip, with five of their first seven buckets coming from long range.
- Micah Elan gave Pomona-Pitzer its first double-digit lead with a three midway through the half, making it 25-15.
- A Jacob Bates dunk near the five-minute mark helped bring the deficit to seven, but it proved to be costly in the long run, as the SAA Player of the Year suffered an injury upon landing that sidelined him the rest of the game.
- Pomona-Pitzer shot 8 of 12 from long range in the first 20 minutes, carrying a 45-31 advantage into the locker rooms.
- Despite the Bates injury and a hot-handed Pomona-Pitzer team, the Colonels never rolled over in the second half.
- Jakob Spitzer scored 11 points in an extended role in the final half, and Centre seemed to be right on the doorstep after Dawson Crump's 3-pointer made it 73-60 with six minutes left.
- The Sagehens closed the door on a comeback bid, however, punching their ticket to the second round.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Perry Ayers scored 19 points in his collegiate finale to pace the Colonels. Spitzer followed with a season-high 15 points on a 6-for-8 shooting performance, and Bates totaled 12 in just 11 minutes on the court.
- Pomona-Pitzer hit 29 of 51 overall compared to Centre's 23 of 61 (38%) effort. The Sagehens also turned in a sharp 19-7 assist-turnover ratio.
- Centre out-rebounded Pomona-Pitzer, 31-30, with Ayers' six boards leading the team. Pomona-Pitzer entered as the nation's second best rebounding team by average margin.
- Dawson Crump recorded five of Centre's 11 assists.