LANCASTER, Calif. — The Caltech men's basketball team earned an exhilarating win on Thursday night as the Beavers topped the Eagles of West Coast Baptist College, 67-63.
It is the first win of the season for the squad, who held off an impressive late push from West Coast Baptist to nab the victory.
The Eagles scored the first points of the day, though the Beavers soon responded as first-year wing Christos Palkogiannis found sophomore guard Noah Hicks inside; the Georgia native spun around his defender before finishing an up-and-under layup to tie the contest at 2-2.
Palkogiannis showed off his passing ability again just a few minutes later as he sent the ball to junior forward Riley Wood on the block, who put up the and-1 layup to lift Caltech to a 6-5 lead. Wood connected on the ensuing free throw to put the team up by two.
The two teams would continue to battle before the Beavers posted a 9-0 run in the latter part of the first half to extend their lead to 11 points, 25-14.
The Eagles clawed back before the halftime buzzer sounded, though Caltech still held a two-possession lead as they headed to the locker room on top 33-27.
The Beavers began the second half on a tear, surging ahead by 16 points as part of an 11-1 run. The home team posted a nice run of their own as the two teams battled down the stretch. The Beavers earned one of their most important points of the contest with 3:31 remaining, as senior guard Leo Williams sent a pass from the paint to junior wing-forward Evan Portnoi near the corner, who sunk a massive three-pointer to electrify the Beaver bench.
Hicks took over the game from the charity stripe in the game's final possessions; the sophomore went a perfect 6-for-6 on free throws in the final 2:10 to secure the Beaver victory.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy," Head Coach Dr. Oliver Eslinger said. "Even though we built a double-digit lead in the second half, it's a game of runs and momentum, so I was really proud of our effort and ability to make just enough plays to seal the win, even though the other team played well and came back."
Hicks finished with a team-high 18 points, followed by Williams and Portnoi with 11 each. Palkogiannis was Caltech's top playmaker with three assists. The Beavers outrebounded the Eagles 49 to 34, Matt Cantor leading the way with eight including a game-high three offensive boards.
Our upperclassmen showed poise and executed our principles," said Eslinger. "It goes to show you what experience means, and I know our younger players were observing and learning. We have good players who can make plays, so what we are doing is figuring out how to make plays as a collective."
Caltech will now prepare for their next matchup this Sunday, Nov. 19 as they host the University of California, Santa Cruz in a noon battle. Cheer on the Beavers in person or follow along online at https://gocaltech.com/coverage.
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