PASADENA, Calif. (Jan. 26, 2022) - Fourteen years ago to the day, the Caltech women's basketball team defeated the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas on the Caltech campus. Until tonight, the Beavers's hadn't outscored CMS since, but on Wednesday, in a game the Beavers led for nearly the entirety of the contest, Caltech emerged victorious once more, defeating the SCIAC sports program powerhouse by a final score of 49-34.

In quashing a four-game winless streak while also snapping the Athenas' four-game win streak, Caltech also celebrated a program record for fewest points allowed in team history to an NCAA opponent. The victory moves Caltech to a 7-10 (2-7 SCIAC) record and back into the single-year exception eight-team conference tournament while CMS falls to 8-10 (5-4 SCIAC). 

"I'm really proud of our squad tonight," Head Coach Bridgette Reyes said. "They executed defensively and played together as a unit. So many people stepped up to help us get this win and we want to carry this defensive intensity over to the next game and the balance of the season."

In what was a true team effort, the Beavers played absolutely suffocating team defense. Rarely did the Athenas find themselves with an open look as the inspired pressure led to constant one-and-done possessions for the visitors. In addition, the home team forced 25 turnovers, nearly 2.5 times the number of baskets allowed.

"We had a relentless mindset and never let up," sophomore guard Milan Robinson (Anaheim, Calif. / Fairmont Prep) said. "Our goal was to give max effort and focus on details on both sides of the floor."

The game began with a tense first five minutes as CMS managed a narrow 7-4 lead, but Caltech found the groove that would carry it for the balance of the night at the 2:56 mark when junior Faith Pinney (Spokane, Wash. / Gonzaga Preparatory School) forced a steal and freshman Katherine Marquis (Tewksbury, Mass. / Phillips Acad. Andover) cut through the defense for a go-ahead layup. The Athenas would not score another point in the quarter as the Beavers jumped out to a 13-9 lead at the first break. Soon a sense that this could be a special night began to dawn as Caltech continued to hold CMS scoreless over the first 2:30 of the second quarter, eventually surrendering just a pair of three-pointers and a free throw over the final 7:30 of the half to lead by seven, 24-17. That margin stretched to a game high of 16 at 38-22 with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter before both teams began to show signs of wearing down from the intense pressure game in the fourth, though the Beavers' lead was never threatened as they cruised to the landmark victory.

CMS was held to a meager 23.4 percent shooting percentage on the evening. It was a team defensive effort, but keying that was rookie Kathryn Edwards (Centennial, Colo. / Arapahoe) whose 11 rebounds - eight on the defensive end - as well as five steals played a significant factor in holding the Athenas to the Caltech record-low for points. Caltech held CMS to single-digit scoring in each of the first three quarters and kept the visitors scoreless in the fourth until they hit a free throw with 3:23 remaining.

While the Beavers played well at both ends of the floor, and played defense that led to offense, the trio of Robinson, sophomore Hope Arnett (Torrance, Calif. / Chadwick School) and Pinney paced the squad on offense. Robinson led the way in her dynamic 22 minutes as she was 3-4 from the field, 7-9 from the stripe, grabbed five boards and had two steals while contributing 13 points to lead the team, particularly dominating on the fast break. Arnett excelled at the point guard spot, contributing 11 points on 3-9 shooting, adding four points on 4-4 shooting from the free throw line. She also dished out three assists and had seven steals. Pinney added six points while grabbing four boards and two steals. Sophomore Claire Perhach (Carlsbad, Calif. / Sage Creek) contributed an impactful 22 minutes with both regular bigs in foul trouble from the second quarter onward, pulling down six rebounds and keeping a typically dominant CMS inside game largely dormant.

Reyes and the Beavers will look to build off this effort in a home matchup with the University of La Verne Leopards at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29. The livestream and real-time stats can be found at GoCaltech.com.