Photo by: Haruna Tomono, Caltech Yearbook

PASADENA, Calif. ( November 29, 2021) – In a fast-paced game at the Braun Athletic Center on Monday evening following the Thanksgiving weekend, senior guard Stephen Hei (Newcastle, Wash. / Liberty) led Caltech men's basketball with a career-high 24 points as the Beavers outscored the visiting Bethesda University Flames, 86-79.  

The two teams were locked in a back-and-forth contest that featured fast break opportunities and an astounding 69 three-point attempts on the evening, with the Beavers outshooting the Flames 33-20 percent beyond the arc. This difference figured significantly in determining the outcome.  
After weathering a dizzying pace to begin the game, and a feeling as though a lid had been placed on their basket, the Beavers played solid defense and began chipping away at the early 6-0 deficit that saw the hosts held scoreless until the 13:51 mark of the first half.  Hei's first made three-pointer of the night came on an assist from fellow senior Noah Barnes (Springfield, Va. / Jefferson), his first of three helpers on the evening. For the contest, the Beavers assisted 23 of 29 made field goals, a statistic that pleased Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger. 

"We were getting great looks at the basket all night long, and we knew that the ball would start going in," Eslinger said. "It was great to see the guys stick with what we have been working on and as a staff, we appreciated their willingness to make the extra pass."  

Quick ball movement, the extra pass and some timely defending helped the Beavers get back in the contest quickly. This was highlighted when Hei knocked down his three of the first half. As he rose up to shoot, he was clobbered on the play, but still made the shot and converted the free throw to complete the rarely seen four-point play, bringing the Beavers within three trailing 20-17 with 7:47 remaining in the first half. 

Bethesda's frenetic swarming zone defense and press that they extended throughout the game forced Caltech to become a predominantly perimeter team, and while their three-pointers weren't falling early, the hosts ended up making 27 percent of their shots from behind the arc in the half. Junior Kyle McGraw (Los Altos Hills, Calif. / The Nueva School) drained a three with 5:20 remaining in the first half off a Barnes pass that got the Beavers within a point, trailing 26-25. Holding Bethesda to just three points over a critical four-minute stretch toward the end of the half allowed the Beavers to tie the game at 29 apiece when senior Spencer Schneider (Houston, Texas / Clearbrook) drained a three-point shot with 2:46 remaining to play. Schneider then assisted on a trifecta by classmate Marcus Gee (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica) that got the Beavers level at 34-34. Hei followed with another three only to see Bethesda tie it, before a made layup by Schneider saw the Beavers take a 39-37 lead into halftime.
The second half began with Hei draining another three-point basket, pushing the Beavers in front 42-37. When center Pavlos Stavrinides (Nicosia, Cyprus / The English School of Nicosia) converted the first of two free throws at the 18:31 mark of the second half, the Beavers led 43-39. 

"I thought that Pavlos played an important role in our team's success tonight," Eslinger said. "He played well, rebounded the ball fantastically well [8 boards] and stayed out of foul trouble. He gave us 29 really important minutes tonight." 
Throughout the evening, Eslinger made multiple changes to the lineup in the fluid affair. After a few spectacular plays by Bethesda to regain the lead, the Beavers came back and knotted the score at 46 with just over 16 minutes to play on another three-point basket by McGraw. Bethesda showed its athleticism with multiple spectacular dunks, but the Beavers demonstrated their discipline by continuing to make the extra pass and setting themselves up for three-point baskets, including one by Gee that put the Beavers back up 49-48 with just under 15:30 to play in the game. 
The up-and-down pace of the game continued all through the second half and with just over 13 minutes to go, the Beavers forced a turnover and broke to the offensive end where Hei was fouled again while converting the awkward layup as well as the subsequent foul shot. This conventional three-point play pushed the Beavers lead to 54-48.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, Gee made a great play on the defensive end, stealing the ball from a Bethesda guard and driving the ball up the court, taking it to basket where he was fouled and went to the line to shoot two, which he converted. Coach Eslinger took an opportunity to call the time out and get his team a breather with some momentum behind them. That proved useful as the Flames would not go out easily, continuing to play defense at a frenetic pace that forced the Beavers into a few untimely turnovers. A three-point basket by Bethesda and then a Caltech turnover allowed the Flames to quickly get back into the contest at 70-63 with six minutes remaining.
But concerns over the lead were short lived as the Beavers reversed the tide and instead began extending it further. With 1:07 remaining in the contest, the Beavers had extended their lead to a game high of 15 points on a made layup by Gee. The Flames flickered back to life and began furiously trying to get back into the contest, with a flurry of activity cutting the deficit to 10, but the Beavers did well enough to take care of the ball. A driving layup by Bethesda make it a seven-point contest with 30 seconds to play, but the visitors would get no closer as the buzzer sounded with the Beavers in front 86-79. 

Up next for Eslinger and the Beavers will be their SCIAC opener when they host the Whittier College Poets at 2:00 pm on Saturday, Dec. 4.