PASADENA, Calif. (Feb. 12, 2022) – Caltech men's hoops kicked off the last Saturday basketball home doubleheader of the season against the SCIAC second-ranked Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens and put up some respectable numbers in the face of a high-powered offense from the visitors. 

Senior Stephen Hei (Newcastle, Wash. / Liberty) put the Beavers on the board first with a three-pointer in the opening minute off an assist by senior Noah Barnes (San Antonio, Texas / Alamo Heights). Pomona-Pitzer quickly answered with a three of its own, but a pair of baskets by senior Marcus Gee (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica) gave Caltech a 7-4 lead. After another game-tying three, a Hei layup made it 9-7 before the Sagehens would finally pull ahead.  

Some adjustments after halftime proved successful in slowing down Pomona-Pitzer's relentless three-point shooting by 26.3 percent. After a five-point first half, Gee broke out for 13 in the second frame including a trio of three-pointers. He finished out the game with a team-high 18 points and three assists as the Beavers held the Sagehens to just a 33-30 score in the half.  

Senior Spencer Schneider (Houston, Texas / Clearbrook) led the team in ball control with five rebounds, three assists and two steals without committing a turnover in the contest. Junior Kyle McGraw (Los Altos Hills, Calif. / The Nueva School) was the other Beaver scoring double figures, coming off the bench to rack up 13 points with two boards, an assist and a steal. 

Junior Richard Wang (San Jose, Calif. / The Harker School) also stepped up with a gorgeous pair of threes that energized the Caltech bench and spectators on hand. Freshman Riley Wood (Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher's School) nailed his two free throws while collecting three rebounds.

Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the Beavers will host the University of Redlands Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 16 in their penultimate home game of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.