Photo: Bob Paz

PASADENA (Feb. 15, 2020) – Junior Marcus Gee (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica) and the Caltech men's basketball team led a tale of two halves Saturday against the University of Redlands in the annual Alumni Weekend home game.

While the Caltech defense fans have grown accustomed to took root in the first half, both teams took to an all-out offensive assault in the final 20 minutes with the two programs combining for 99 second-half points. Gee found himself at the front of the offensive effort and scored 29 points, 18 of which came from three. The junior scored 24 points in the second half alone, and the torrid pace allowed the Beavers to keep up with a Bulldogs offense that hit a new level of efficiency over that time.

"Both teams played a great basketball game tonight," Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger said. "We loved seeing our guys play with this level of intensity and toughness. Redlands has played very well as of late and tonight was no exception. I thought we matched their pace and play. Our guys believe in each other and we will keep that up as we head into the final stretch."

Two more Beavers joined Gee in double-figures. Freshman Chase Pagon (Solana Beach, Calif. / Santa Fe Christian) flashed his exceptional two-way skills, scoring 11 points off the bench to go with four steals and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Noah Barnes (Springfield, Va. / Jefferson), meanwhile had 10 points and three assists, all of which came in the first half and one of which came while he was on the ground. Junior forward Calvin Huh (Fort Lee, N.J. / Bergen Tech) added to the Beavers' defensive contributions with a trio of blocks. While the pace of play affected both teams heavily (particularly in the turnover department), Caltech managed to close the game with the upper hand in second-chance points and offensive rebounds. 

The Beavers also received heavy support in their largest fan attended home game of the season. A sea of orange filled the stands, with supporters from a variety of different bases turning up to support the men's basketball team.

"We had a really great crowd with our fantastic alumni base in attendance as well as other supporters," Eslinger said. "Nights like tonight are what we need on a regular basis."

Eslinger and the Beavers will need to win out in order to keep their SCIAC Postseason Tournament hopes alive. They will be back at home on Wednesday, Feb. 19 to host California Lutheran University at 7 p.m.

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