Pomona-Pitzer relied on its superb three-point shooting to beat Centre College, 84-64, in the first round of the NCAA DIII Men’s Basketball National Championships Friday evening at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

The Sagehens shot 61.1% from beyond the arc at the Woodruff P.E. Center, while Centre converted just 5 of its 26 three-point attempts. Pomona-Pitzer saw four of its scorers end with more than 10 points and were led by senior Micah Elan, who scored 23 points and was perfect from three-point range (3-3). Elan also had five rebounds and three assists. Senior Adam Rees, junior Alex Preston, and senior Jack Boyle dropped 16, 12, and 12 points, respectively. Rees collected seven rebounds to go with his four assists. Preston had five rebounds and assists for his team, while Boyle was 4-of-5 from long range and added three rebounds and assists.

For the Colonels, starting seniors Perry Ayers and Jacob Bates had 19 and 12 points, while another senior leader, Jakob Spitzer, delivered 15 points off the bench in the losing effort. Ayers added six rebounds, while Bates had three assists and one board. Spitzer also had three rebounds.

The contest was knotted at ten early on, but then Pomona-Pitzer went on a 18-5 run, jumping out to a 13-point advantage with just under ten minutes to play in the opening half. The Sagehens would maintain that margin into the break, as they led 45-31 at halftime. Pomona-Pitzer did not waver in the second half. The California squad held Centre to a shooting-percentage of just 30% in the final 20 minutes, after the Colonels produced at a 34% clip in the first half.

Pomona-Pitzer will take on the winner of the 7:30 p.m. game, which pits host Emory University against Methodist University.