TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers drop their season-opener to the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens 87-79. 

How it Happened
Zane Miller got the first bucket of the game for Puget Sound, driving into the lane and laying it in for the first points of the night. A 7-0 Sagehen run ensued, though, as the Loggers had a couple of turnovers that gave Pomona the lead. A three-pointer by Aaydan Saucedo brought the lead back to two, as both teams started to settle into the game. 

Following the first media timeout, both teams started to heat up. The Sagehens knocked down a couple of threes, but the Loggers responded instantly with a couple of layups of their own. As new players started to come into the game, the Loggers couldn't quite find their rhythm. A 3.5-minute scoring drought ensued, as Pomona took a 21-13 lead. 

Towards the end of the first half, the Loggers started to pick up the pace. A couple of good stops and a couple of good buckets by Miller and Hugo Rutherford helped the Loggers pull back within three. The teams traded deep balls, but a jumper with seven seconds left gave the Sagehens a 5-point lead heading into halftime. 

The Loggers got off to a great start in the second half, as Rutherford found yet another bucket down low. The Sagehens responded well, though, as a 12-5 run in a two-minute span put the Loggers down double-digits for the first time all night. Puget Sound fought back hard, bringing it back to a score of 46-50 Sagehens. 

The game remained competitive through the second media timeout, as the Loggers were only down three. Two three-balls by the Sagehens quickly extended their lead back to nine, but the Loggers crawled all the way back. With seven minutes remaining in the game, a three-pointer by Saucedo pulled the Loggers within two – 65-67. 

The Sagehens immediately pushed the lead back to double digits, as the Loggers couldn't quite pull all the way back. Pomona kept their lead all the way through the end of the half, as the Loggers dropped their home opener, 79-87. 

Top Performers
Four Loggers finished with double-digits, as Saucedo led the scoring with 17. Miller finished with 15, Rutherford finished with 14 and 5 rebounds, and Ian Cook had 13 points and 6 boards. 

Coach's Thoughts
"1st half we played decent defense but turnovers and their offensive rebounding put us in a hole.  2nd half our offense got rolling but we were unable to defend the three," said Logger head coach Aubrey Shelton. "Give them a ton of credit - playing back-to-back nights and being able to shoot the way they did was impressive. We will need to learn and bounce back quickly for Tuesday's matchup against Bethany. Particularly pleased with the toughness that Aaydan Saucedo showed tonight."

What Happens Next
The Loggers take on Bethany College on Tuesday, November 18th, at 7:00 pm.