In a display of iron will, the Caltech Women's Basketball team
gave outgoing seniors Lisa Yee and Kathryn Gunn a present that no
other senior had ever received... a win on their last night in
Braun Athletic Center. For a record second time this season,
Caltech came out on top over the Sagehens of Pomona Pitzer, handing
them a 61 - 54 loss.
From the first moment that the orange and white stepped onto the
floor, fans could tell that something special was about to happen.
The Beavers burst from the locker room loud, proud and ready to
take care of some business. On the line was the chance for Caltech
to finish the season out of the basement for the first time in the
program's history. Add to the mix a young team who believed in each
other and knew they had to leave it all on the court, and the
result was plain danger for the Sagehens.
The first few minutes the teams spared without much to put on
the scoreboard, but finally after the jitters of the opening
minutes had passed, Caltech found the bucket. Pomona Pitzer spent
the next few minutes answering every call, until about the 12:00
mark when Tech decided they had enough. For these Beavers, winning
tonight was destiny and they weren't allowing any other result.
From that point on, Caltech sat in the lead and refused to
relinquish it until the win was theirs.
Showing a calm not usual for such youth, Tech worked the ball,
found shots, and answered every single Sagehen surge. Ultimately
rebounding was the key for the Beavers. By half time Caltech had
double Pomona Pitzer up in the rebounding column and used their
opportunities for second chance point to their advantage. Their
reward... going into halftime with a 13 point margin.
As Caltech expected, Pomona Pitzer was not going away quietly,
and the Sagehens got fired up enough to make it a game. Pomona
Pitzer got to work trying to chip away at the cushion the Beavers
had built. The three point field goal factored in as Pomona Pitzer
started hitting key shots narrowing Tech's lead to just four points
with only 59 second on the clock. Immediately Tech went to its
clutch player, Erin Hoops. Knowing the options were limited and
that the Sagehens need to stop the clock and create chance to gain
possessions, the deliberate fouls emerged. Hoops stepped up to the
challenge, hitting the charity tosses when it counted most and
guaranteeing her team's celebration as time faded away. The
bleachers exploded as the last second ticked off the clock and Tech
had the win.
Three Beavers ended up in double digits with Hoops leading the
way. Registering the game high 21 points, Hoops had a hot hand when
it counted. She went 10 for 10 from the free throw line, hit three
of seven from behind the three point line, grabbed five rebounds
and handed out four assists. Hoops wasn't Tech's only outstanding
performance. Teri Juarez had 17 points on the evening and put on
her own free throw shooting clinic, hitting a perfect nine for nine
from the line. Her nine rebounds put her only one shy of another
double double on the year.
Krissy Dahl did manage to put a double double on the stat sheet,
with 12 points, and 13 rebounds plus two more blocked shots to add
to her record breaking total for the year. Not to be outdone on her
special night, Lisa Yee was also one tick shy of owning the career
double double record. Currently she has co-ownership for her 16
double dips, and tonight she had 10 rebounds and 9 points. She'll
have one last shot at grabbing one more record on Saturday.
The win tonight brings the 2009-2010 season into its twilight
with a number of firsts. This is the first time Caltech has swept a
SCIAC opponent. Earlier in the season, Tech took the win from
Pomona Pitzer at Pomona, another first for the team...a SCIAC road
win. The win also gives Caltech its first chance at finishing in
7th place in the 8 team SCIAC...a critical milestone for the young
and growing program. The win also brings Tech's season total to six
wins, tying for the winningest team since the program began in
1995. The 2000-2001 Beavers were able to go 6-18 on their season.
However none of those wins were SCIAC victories. The first
conference victory came in 2007 also against Pomona Pitzer.
The final game of the 2009-2010 season happens this Saturday at
5pm when Caltech battles it out with the Leopards from the
University of LaVerne at LaVerne, looking to cap their season on
the best note possible... in pursuit of #7.
GO TECH!!!
BOXSCORE
