LOS ANGELES (Jan. 18, 2023) – Caltech Men's Basketball faced longtime SCIAC rival Occidental College Monday night at Rush Gymnasium.

The Beavers played effectively in the opening period, holding the lead for most of the half and racking up a nine-point cushion, thanks to strong early performances by seniors Chase Pagon (Solana Beach, Calif. / Santa Fe Christian) with 11 points and six boards, and Pavlos Stavrinides (Nicosia, Cyprus / The English School of Nicosia) with seven points, five from the free throw line as his aggressive play drew some personal fouls by the Occidental defense.Rookie Noah Hicks (Oxford, Ga. / George Walton Academy) also highlighted with a pair of three-pointers and a steal. Caltech led by four points at halftime.

The Tigers clawed their way back into the game early in the second half, eventually taking the lead seven minutes in while both teams struggled to score from the field as personal fouls outnumbered good baskets.

Pagon finished with a double-double on the stat sheet, scoring a team-high 13 points and leading both teams in rebounds with 13. He additionally grabbed a couple steals and provided two assists.

Hicks score nine points with an assist and a steal, and Stavrinides scored eight with a game-high six good free throws. Kyle McGraw (Los Altos Hills, Calif. / The Nueva School) and Riley Wood (Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher's School) also scored for the Beavers, and Ben Juarez (El Dorado Hills, Calif. / Oak Ridge) and Evan Portnoi (Short Hills, N.J. / Northfield Mount Hermon) each blocked a Tiger shot attempt.

Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger and the Beavers will play their third game in five days on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.