PASADENA (Jan. 22, 2020) – The Caltech men's basketball team hit a speed bump in its quest for a SCIAC playoff berth on Wednesday, coming up short against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at home.

The Beavers managed to shoot better than in some recent wins, but the efficiency, firepower, and experience of the Sagehens proved to be too much for the home team on this particular night. Caltech's strongest moments came early with a series of highlight-reel worthy plays. First, junior guard Marcus Gee (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica) channeled his inner 'Pistol Pete' for an exceptional reverse layup on which he also drew the foul on before converting the ensuing free throw. Later in the first half, senior guard Alec Andrews (Folsom, Calif. / Folsom) saved the ball from going out of bounds and hurled it straight into the hands of junior forward Spencer Schneider (Houston, Texas / Clearbrook), who finished on a deep three-pointer. Lastly, the Beavers killed a Sagehens run with a big two-handed slam from freshman Pavlos Stavrinides (Nicosia, Cyprus / The English School of Nicosia) in the second half. 

On the plus side, Caltech managed to match Pomona-Pitzer with 18 team assists, utilizing its exceptional ball movement to create opportunity. Andrews finished the game with six assists, while Schneider picked up five to go with 10 points and a pair of made three-pointers. Gee led the Beavers with 15 points and made all three of his free throws, and senior Bret Johnson (Carlsbad, Calif. / Santa Fe Christian) also gave the home team some strong minutes off the bench while knocking down a pair of three's, one of which came on a nice dish from junior guard Michael Li (Bryn Mawr, Pa. / Radnor).

Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the Beavers will look to regain some ground in the SCIAC when they travel to Chapman University on Saturday, Jan. 25.

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