LA JOLLA, Calif. (Dec. 18, 2021) – On a beautiful afternoon in the shadow of Chase Pagon (Solana Beach, Calif. / Santa Fe Christian)'s hometown, he and his Caltech teammates took on the only Division 1 opponent the Beavers will face in the 2021-2022 season. With 11 points and 10 rebounds, Pagon's inspired effort in front of several family members showed significant fight as the Beavers fell to the Tritons, 93-52 in an exhibition game inside RIMAC Arena. 

The Beavers started an upperclassman-laden lineup with seniors Noah Barnes (Springfield, Va. / Jefferson), Marcus Gee (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica), Stephen Hei (Newcastle, Wash. / Liberty) and Spencer Schneider (Houston, Texas / Clearbrook) joining junior Pagon at the tip. Some nerves and jitters could be expected playing in a true arena environment for the first time this season, but when Hei drained a three with 16:21 remaining in the first half, the game was tied at 5. Though the Tritons exploded on a 23-2 run over a six-minute stretch of the first half, at the break Schneider led the team with six points and six rebounds, with Gee chipping in six and Hei five points.  

"Overall, I liked what we did defensively," Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger said. "In spite of them scoring 53, we stuck to the principles that we practiced and made them alter some things that they like to do.  They shot the ball well, especially from beyond the arc, and we could have done a little better at taking care of the basketball."  

Adjusting to the speed of the game, the size of the opponent and the elevated atmosphere, the Beavers came out of the locker room and went on a 4-0 run to start the second half, with Pagon going to work. The Tritons regained their footing and went on another run, limiting the Beavers' ability to get back into the contest. Still displaying grit and effort, Caltech worked hard on the glass, outrebounding the hosts 22-18 in the second frame, and led to an overall advantage for the Beavers of 42-41 off the window. The 15 offensive boards for Caltech led to 16 points, while UCSD only tallied 8 second chance points.  

"We felt like we did some things well, but there were missed opportunities," Assistant Coach Steve Ledesma said. 

"Our goal was to come out and perform, and we could have improved on this tonight. When you are playing a DI program, the margin of error is extremely small," Eslinger said. "I greatly appreciate the effort of our starters and reinforcements and I'm proud of the effort and the way we played in stretches. 

The nearly 30 Caltech supporters among the announced attendance of 404 did their best to implore the Beavers to get back into the game, as Eslinger urged the team to run and to take the ball at UCSD's defense by picking up the pace on offense and building a stronger wall on the defensive end of the floor. With 16:30 remaining, the Beavers were down 58-29 - as close as they would come the rest of the way against the full-scholarship Big West member. All healthy members of the Caltech roster got into the contest, with Leo Williams (Southfield, Mich. / Wylie E. Groves) firing two attempts from three-point land in the final minute.  

"This helps us get better down the road. It helps prepare us for the stretch of SCIAC games that begins on New Year's Day and the balance of the season that we hope lasts a long time into the New Year," Eslinger said. "This game allowed us to do something fun as a team before the players go home for the holiday break. It's also the first time we've been able to do something like this over the past two seasons." 

The Beavers will return from their winter break on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 2:00 p.m. to host Occidental College after claiming the season-opening 110 Rivalry victory.