PASADENA, Calif. – Caltech Women's Basketball hosted the Bethesda University Flames on Tuesday night at Braun Athletic Center, but it was the Beavers who caught fire on the court.

The first basket came just six seconds into the contest, as Kodie Vondra drained a layup right after the opening tip. Bethesda responded with a basket, but then Caltech claimed the next four field goals as Vondra, Kathryn Edwards and Faith Pinney combined to lurch ahead to a 11-2 lead and drew a timeout by the Flames. Bethesda pulled within three points with just over three minutes to go in the first quarter, but they would come no closer for the rest of the night as Caltech put on a show on offense and defense. 

The Beavers dominated every stat category, notably scoring 48 of their 82 points in the paint, also capitalizing on offensive rebounds and Bethesda turnovers to keep racking up points. The reserves came through in a big way, notching 25 points in the contest including 13 from sophomore Saumya Chauhan. The steady rotation of substitutes meant every Beaver entering the game ranged from 19 to 26 minutes, and nobody wearing orange left the gym without putting up points or collecting rebounds. 

Edwards earned a double-double, featuring game-high figures with her 21 points and 12 rebounds, eight of which were on offense, and she dished five assists for her teammates. Sahana Saikumar picked up 12 points in her 2022-23 debut, also grabbing seven boards and a couple steals. Milan Robinson led the team with three steals and added nine points including a three-pointer to make it a 50-26 game just before halftime. Claire Perhach was the other Beaver claiming double-figure boards, as her 10 marked a career high for rebounds in a single game.

Further cause for celebration is that the victory marked the first-ever win for Head Coach Annie Tarakchian in her coaching career. "I loved this team from the moment I met them," Tarakchian beamed after the game. "I believe in this team wholeheartedly, and my hope is for them to see how fantastic they are as well. Everyone scored, everyone engaged in the scout, everyone got shots for each other, everyone hustled all 40 minutes. That's the type of team they are and I'm looking forward to keeping that mentality going forward."

Tarakchian and the Beavers face Pacific University in Portland, Oregon on Saturday at 6 p.m.