THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2022) - When senior Marcus Gee (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica) poured in 13 points over the final 3:10 of Caltech men's basketball's first-ever SCIAC Postseason Tournament appearance, it perfectly summed up the relentless effort the Beavers had given throughout the night in a furious 74-66 battle defeat at California Lutheran University on Wednesday night.

 

The entire team did everything it could to extend the season, giving the Kingsmen a great battle on the CLU home floor. Playing some of its best basketball of the season as it headed into the conference tournament, Caltech came out inspired and hardened at both ends of the court, pushing out to what would prove to be Caltech's largest lead of the night at 9-4 early on. Junior center Pavlos Stavrinides (Nicosia, Cyprus / The English School of Nicosia) got the scoring started early for the visitors, reflecting the game-long commitment to getting the ball into the paint and taking it to the basket. After the early burst had the Beavers in front, the Kingsmen would scratch their way back into the contest in the first half as they were able to establish more of their fast-paced, contact-heavy style of play to eventually get to the free-throw line 26 times.

 

Caltech regained its footing and the two teams traded baskets as well as the lead for the next five minutes. When senior Stephen Hei (Newcastle, Wash. / Liberty) made a three-pointer with 4:17 remaining in the half, the Beavers led 28-26 with the intimate orange cheering section on its feet. Unfortunately for the Beavers, that is when they were once again impacted by the season-long challenge of being held scoreless for significant stretches. Caltech would not score the rest of the way in the first half, trailing by eight points as the two teams went into their locker rooms, 36-28. Still, there was great reason for optimism as the first half represented the most competitive half of basketball the Beavers played against the Kingsman in four games this season. In the three prior contests, Caltech had been defeated by an average of 23 points by CLU.

 

When Stavrinides got the scoring going again for the Beavers to kick off the second half with some savvy under-the-basket play, there was optimism about Caltech's chances of getting back into the contest. But not unlike the end of the first half, challenging execution on the offensive end, as well as trademark intensive defensive effort by the Kingsmen, contributed to another four-minute stretch in which Caltech went scoreless. Fortunately, CLU did not run away from the Beavers and with just under 15 minutes to play, Caltech trailed by nine.

 

After a few made jump shots by the hosts, the lead began to widen and with just over 13:30 left in the game, Cal Lutheran opened the largest lead at 15 points, bettering Caltech 49-34 at that point.

 

"All of the pressure was on Cal Lutheran, tonight," Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger said. "We knew full well that the prior games didn't go as we hoped and that their personnel aren't a great matchup for us, but we obviously had a better plan, played much harder and better tonight and took the fight to them. I'm beyond proud of how hard our guys played this evening, and all season long.  The amount of hard work, energy, and effort that they put into the entire season was outstanding."

 

The Beavers worked hard to cut into the CLU lead, getting stops on defense as well as fighting their way to the basket to score in the paint. That was an area that Caltech led, outscoring CLU 34-22; when Chase Pagon (Solana Beach, Calif. / Santa Fe Christian) made a layup with 8:26 remaining, the Beavers were within seven at 53-46, forcing Cal Lutheran to take a time out. After a steal by Gee less than two minutes later and the subsequent layup by Pagon, the Beavers had the game back within five points, trailing 56-51.

 

At the five-minute mark there was a sequence in which Caltech could have cut the lead down to a single possession, but unfortunately both shots went awry, sending CLU to the free-throw line with 4:42 remaining.The hosts converted both free throws and expanded their lead to seven points. Yet the Beavers refused to go away, and with 3:10 remaining, a made three-point jump shot by Gee had the Beavers back within four trailing 60-56. Coach Eslinger took a time out, hoping to come up with a defensive stop that would allow Caltech to get within a bucket. But CLU was up to the challenge and, on the next offensive position, drilled a three to push the lead back to what seemed an insurmountable seven.

 

The home team continued to push and expand the lead back to eight, a lead it maintained until Gee drilled another triple to get the game within five at 67-62 and swing momentum back to the visitors' side. Caltech would get no closer, though, and while the Beavers tried valiantly, their season came to a close on the Kingsmen's home floor as multiple players fouled out amid some intensely applied defensive pressure. The made basket by Gee with four seconds remaining was fitting as it helped avoid the truly unbelievable feat of scoring the same number of points versus the same opponent (64) in four consecutive contests, but it also put a ribbon on a phenomenal season and career. As he finished with a shared team high of 18 points, along with Stavrinides, on the night, it also took Gee's Caltech all-time scoring record to 1,614 points in a record 101 games played.

 

Coach Eslinger, his staff and the remaining players know that the 2022-2023 season will represent a new look for the Beavers when they return later this year. If nothing else, the five graduating seniors, who have proven integral in helping lift the competitiveness and spirit of the program, will move on and succeed in other ways. The hope and expectations are that the pride, work ethic and inspiration they provided will continue to carry the Beavers forward to new heights, just as they did over their careers following classes before them.