PASADENA (Jan. 29, 2020) – The Caltech women's basketball team gave visiting Whittier College everything they could handle on Wednesday night, ultimately coming up short to the Poets, 52-50. 

The Beavers and Poets went head-to-head all game, with neither team leading by more than seven points throughout the 40 minutes. Both teams made 19 shots and Caltech outshot Whittier by nearly three percent. The result of these statistics yielded an exciting finish. With Whittier leading by four points with two minutes to go, Caltech took it to the visitors, cut the deficit to just one point and drew fouls on two of the Poets' top front court players, levying them with five fouls apiece. After the Poets hit one of two free throws to make it a two-point game, the Beavers had one more chance to tie or win the game. However, the Poets had Caltech leading scorer Grace Peng (San Ramon, Calif. / California) well scouted, forcing a less than ideal shot from deep as the home team ran out of time.

Peng, who is on pace to land a few more career records before her time is up, led Caltech with 23 points while going 4-for-9 from three. The senior played all 40 minutes and also shot more than 50-percent from the field. Caltech also got big contributions out of senior Alexa Lauinger (Ortonville, Mich. / Brandon) and freshman Sahana Saikumar (Arcadia, Calif. / Arcadia). Lauinger double-doubled with 10 points, 11 rebounds and also added a pair of blocks, while Saikumar had 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Freshman Faith Pinney (Spokane, Wash. / Gonzaga Preparatory School), meanwhile, found multiple ways to contribute, adding seven rebounds and six assists. The Beavers have now come within one possession of beating the SCIAC's top two teams within a span of two weeks.

Head Coach Bridgette Reyes and the Beavers will look to shake it off and get back to their winning ways against the University of La Verne on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.

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