Photo by Michael Wong

WHITTIER, Calif. (Feb. 13, 2016) – Junior Kate Lewis (San Antonio, Texas / Ronald Reagan) just missed a double-double in a commanding 19-point, nine-rebound effort for Caltech women's basketball at Whittier College on Saturday night.

The SCIAC foes traded three-pointers to open the game before Whittier built up a seven-point lead with 3:04 on the clock.  Lewis hit back-to-back layups in the final 1:30 to trim the deficit to three at the first break, but the hosts stretched back out by six early in the second quarter. 

Freshman Madeline Schemel (Westport, Conn. / Staples) and Lewis scored on consecutive possessions to make it a one-basket game at 17-15 but once again seven unanswered points sent the Poets well ahead, 24-15.  Caltech fought back with an 8-2 run to end the quarter and trail by just three, 26-23 at halftime.

Whittier put up another seven straight points to begin the third quarter and soon led by 17 heading into the fourth, where a five-point edge made the final score 77-55 in the hosts' favor.

Lewis scored her 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting while junior Michelle Wong (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) dropped 17 as she hit all eight of her free throw attempts.  Schemel pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and freshman Elizabeth Eiden (White Plains, N.Y. / Holy Child) contributed six points and nine rebounds in just 24 minutes coming off the bench.

Head Coach Sandra Marbut and the Beavers host the University of La Verne (4-17, 3-10) on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

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