SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Caltech Men's Basketball faced a familiar nonconference opponent in the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs Sunday afternoon at Kaiser Permanente Arena, also the home of the NBA G League's Santa Cruz Warriors.

A balanced effort from the Beavers' starting five helped keep the game close, early on, as Chase Pagon sunk a layup to put Caltech on the board before assisting a Kyle McGraw three-pointer to take the lead. Ben Juarez then nailed a three off a Noah Hicks assist, and another layup by McGrap made it 10-6 lead and drew a timeout from a worried home team.

After the Slugs mounted a comeback to reclaim the lead, Evan Portnoi drew a foul and sunk his first free throw, and then Riley Wood rebounded Portnoi's second attempt, eventually leading to some 2nd chance points as Pavlos Stavrinides hit a layup.

Caltech capitalized on their offensive rebounds and outscored Santa Cruz 13-10 in 2nd chance points. Additionally, the Beavers tallied 34 points in the paint out of their total score of 67, illustrating the team's success in driving closer to the basket for easier shots.

Stavrinides and Pagon led the Beavers in the scoring column with 14 points each. Pagon also collected six rebounds, blocked a shot and earned three steals from the home side. McGraw put up 11 points and tied with Pagon for six rebounds and three steals, without conceding a single turnover. Wood led the Beavers with a game-high six assists, and Ben Juarez came off the bench to score 10 points, his highest single-game contribution this year.

Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the Beavers will have plenty of time to rest and regroup before facing West Coast Baptist College on Thursday, Dec. 1 in Lancaster, Calif.